William Ernest West

West, William Ernest 'Ernie' 89 04/02/1921 05/11/2010 Ernie West told his children only happy stories about his past. To his young daughters, Portland's St. Johns district of the 1920s and '30s sounded like a paradise full of turtles to catch, railroad trestles to climb and great ways for kids to make money. He never spoke to them about the deaths of his parents or about being separated from his half-brother and put in foster care before the age of 12. He never explained how very necessary the money from paper routes and grocery delivery jobs was to him. William Ernest "Ernie" West was born April 2, 1921, in Portland to immigrants Amy (Denney) West of England and William West of Germany. His father died when Ernie was very young and his mother remarried. Ernie and his half-brother, George Green, spent their early childhood in St. Johns where Ernie attended Portsmouth Elementary School. After his mother's death, Ernie's stepfather took George to live near Lebanon. Orphaned and on his own, Ernie somehow knew to turn to the British consul for assistance. The consul helped him access modest funds left by his mother and arranged for this money to pay a dollar per week to a neighbor for his room and board. Mrs. Lane, who had already raised her own large family, cared for Ernie until he was grown. She was Grandma Lane to his two eldest children until her death in the early 1950s. A customer on his paper route also helped the skinny St. John's boy. This man, an employee of The Oregonian, noticed the reliable delivery of his newspaper. He offered the teenager a Saturday job in the classified ad department and began Ernie's career with The Oregonian, a relationship that would span 53 years-nearly 60 if you count the paper routes, as Ernie did. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, Ernie attended a Portland business school where he met Zenetta Britt. They married in 1943. Ernie's military records show that he was turned down by the draft board due to defective vision, yet somehow he served over three years in the U.S. Army. He was with the 6th Army Radar Repair Unit-Floating aboard the Army aircraft repair ship Brig. Gen. Alfred J. Lyon. He was stationed in the Philippines and was with the occupying forces in Japan, where the residents found his height-nearly 6 feet 4 inches-worthy of comment. After the war, he came home to Zenetta and the first sight of his 14-month-old daughter, Kathleen. He returned to work at The Oregonian, and settled into family life in Northeast Portland, helping take care of his wife's parents as well as his children. He and Zenetta soon had another daughter, Mary, then several years later, Martha. Every summer vacation included a visit to whatever beautiful corner of Oregon contained brother George and his family, until George passed away in 1980. Ernie loved children and animals, and they loved him, too. He was an expert at finding outdoor fun without traveling far. In 1958, Ernie bought his first boat, a wooden 16-footer. In 1960, he bought his last boat, a fiberglass 20-footer. For nearly 50 years, he used that boat to take his children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren to the sandy islands of the Columbia River. At age 87, he finally admitted that the Columbia was pretty cold for swimming. At The Oregonian, Ernie worked as a salesman and manager in retail advertising. He was proud when he became the youngest employee to be invited into The Oregonian's "Twenty-Five Year Club." He worked at The Oregonian for a total of 47 years. In 1989, Ernie retired to take care of Zenetta during her final illness. He was holding the hand of his beloved Zenetta when she died in January 1991. Two years later, Ernie had the great good fortune to meet Helen Henderson, a retired teacher, at their church, Fremont United Methodist. He used all his salesmanship to persuade her to give up her active, but orderly widowhood and take on Ernie and his family, which by then included seven grandchildren and his daughters' husbands. They were married in February 1994. Helen quickly became an indispensable part of the family, and - like Zenetta - she occasionally commented wryly on Ernie's habit of gathering the family in their home, then slipping quietly away for a peaceful moment outside. Helen gave Ernie a new lease on life. They enjoyed his boat, but they also went on cruise ships. They traveled to several states for reunions of Ernie's Army unit and to California to visit Helen's family. They volunteered together at their church and with Reynolds District HOSTS (Helping One Student To Succeed) at Davis Elementary School. During Ernie and Helen's marriage, seven great-grandchildren joined the family. Ernie's health began to fail a few months ago. He died peacefully at home May 11, 2010, at age 89, surrounded by his family and with his dear Helen by his side. The man who had been an orphan had created a family, gathered them in his home and then quietly slipped away. A memorial service for Ernie will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 21, 2010, in Fremont United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 19 and Thursday May 20, in Rose City Funeral Home. Contributions may be made to Fremont Methodist Church, Adventist Home Hospice or any charity that benefits children.

Visitation

Rose City Funeral Home
5625 Northeast Fremont Street
Portland , OR US 97213-1754
Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Service

Fremont United Methodist Church
2620 NE Fremont Street
Portland , OR US 97212
Friday, May 21, 2010, 2:00 PM

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