Robert James West, Sr.

Robert James West, Sr., age 87, passed away on Thursday morning, September 29, 2022, at Covenant House Hospice Care in Pensacola, Florida, surrounded by both of his children, Robert James West, Jr. and Alicia West. Born November 8, 1934 in Rio Grande, Texas, he was a son of the late James Luther West and the late Minnie Cecil Wells West Maines. James Luther West died on March 1, 1944 in India and was buried in the United States on July 22, 1949. On July 26, 1945 Minnie Cecil West married Alvin Rufus Maines and Alvin became step-father to Robert James West, age 11, and all of Cecil's children. He is fondly referred to as "Grandpa Maines" by all his grandchildren. Robert attended high school in Frankfurt, Germany where he was an outstanding football player, in the fullback position, for the Frankfurt Eagles. He would have gone on to play college football, but he had several injuries including a knee that prevented him from recruitment. After school, Robert, now better known as "Bob", joined the military as an enlisted man in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Bob met his future wife, Lois Ann Kessler, during his time at Maxwell Air Force Base, and they were married in Montgomery, Alabama on August 1, 1957 at Queen of Mercy Church. Shortly thereafter, Bob received orders for Dover, Delaware, and from there he was stationed in Iceland for a short while, then back to Dover where both his children were born. From there, the family moved to Huntsville, Alabama and Robert, after being honorably discharged from the Air Force due to a medical issue, began working for Brown Engineering which began laying off many employees, Bob being no exception. He picked up his family and moved back to Montgomery where he became a member of the Air National Guard as a purchasing agent. At Danley Field, Bob was able to climb the ranks and secured the same job during the week at Danley Field with Civil Service. He now held dual status as military and civil service. Bob and Lois settled into life in Montgomery, finished raising their children, and after both graduated, they moved to St. Louis, Missouri where Bob took a position at Lowry Air Force Base on Lambert Field. This is where he finished out the remainder of his working days. After retirement, Bob and Lois moved to the Air Force Enlisted Village in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida where they enjoyed their retirement years together, taking cruises and living retirement life. After several years, they moved to Navarre Assisted Living and it was there that Bob lost his longtime companion and the love of his life, Lois, on October 9, 2021. After Lois' death, Bob moved back to Ft. Walton to the Meridian at Westwood Assisted Living. He enjoyed the last eight months of his life here. It was at Meridian that he injured his spine, requiring surgery. He never really recovered from the surgery, and rehab was difficult for him. He entered the hospital on September 28, 2022 and was then sent to Covenant Care Hospice in Pensacola, where he passed away the next day. Committal services with full military honors are planned for 2:00 PM on Tuesday, November 1, from the committal pavilion at Andersonville National Historic Site. Family and friends will meet between the hours of 1:00 and 1:115 PM at Hancock Funeral Home, 427 S. Lee St., and will travel in procession to Andersonville. To sign our online guestbook and express your condolences to the family, please visit www.hancockfuneralhomeinc.com Hancock Funeral Home, 427 S. Lee St., is honored to be entrusted with these arrangements for Robert James West, Sr.