Anchorage Daily News
April 18, 1996
Section: Metro
Edition: Final
Page: B4
A memorial service will be held in Missouri, where his ashes will be interred in his mother's grave.
Mr. West was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Pacific, Mo., to Jack and Emma Wooley. He attended schools in Pacific and was married to Della Johnston on Dec. 26, 1962. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1957 to December 1959 and received an honorable discharge.
Mr. West came to Alaska in 1972 and had made his home in Wasilla and Anchorage.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Survivors are his sons, Ronald Jr. of California, Dean of Kansas City, Mo., and Mark of Pacific, Mo.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Dwayne and Sue Wooley of Anchorage and Edward and Kathy Wooley of Wasilla; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jackie and Bill Lederle of Villa Ridge, Mo., Elizabeth and Danny Schneider of Union, Mo., Brenda and Dale Broccard, and Juanita and David Winistoerfer of St. Clair, Mo.; grandsons, Adam and Jacob West; and many nieces and nephews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more personal note, this is my father, a man I never really knew.
There were issues in my family between my mother and father and between their families so for whatever reasons that I still am not fully aware of or understand, he wasn't around much after I turned six or seven years old. I do not have many memories of him and the ones I do are not really good ones. I know there had to be some good times with him but unfortunately, I do not remember them.
From the time he left the household to the time he passed away I believe I had only seen him maybe twice. Both meetings were awkward and brief as I really didn't know what to say to him as he was, a stranger to me. During the second meeting, he asked me for a favor, he asked me if I would take him to Texas from Missouri on my way back to California. I said no because it was way out of my way and I was expected back in California at a certain time but that was only half the truth. I really said no because I figured that I owed him nothing so why should I go out of my way for him. Today, all these years after his death, I wish I would have said yes. I did owe him nothing and even today I still feel the same way, but I missed an opportunity that I would never get again. An opportunity to have unanswered questions answered and an opportunity to learn a little more about him. I have heard that he was once a good father and a good man, it would have been nice to find out if that were true.
My father had his demons. He liked his alcohol and was once described to me as the "Best known drunk in Wasilla, Alaska" and that is pretty much how I remember him now. I don't know if there would ever have been a relationship between him and I had he lived longer but I would like to think that at my age today, I would have tried. If nothing else he would have known that he wasn't someone that I just erased from my life and that I did think about him from time to time, and still do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Climis Higgins is listed as Ronald's father only because he is the biological father, but I really wanted to list Jack Elman Wooley (#59282062). Jack came into Ronald's life at a very young age and although there was some contact between Ronald and his biological father in the early days, Jack was probably the only true father that Ronald ever knew.
April 18, 1996
Section: Metro
Edition: Final
Page: B4
A memorial service will be held in Missouri, where his ashes will be interred in his mother's grave.
Mr. West was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Pacific, Mo., to Jack and Emma Wooley. He attended schools in Pacific and was married to Della Johnston on Dec. 26, 1962. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1957 to December 1959 and received an honorable discharge.
Mr. West came to Alaska in 1972 and had made his home in Wasilla and Anchorage.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Survivors are his sons, Ronald Jr. of California, Dean of Kansas City, Mo., and Mark of Pacific, Mo.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Dwayne and Sue Wooley of Anchorage and Edward and Kathy Wooley of Wasilla; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jackie and Bill Lederle of Villa Ridge, Mo., Elizabeth and Danny Schneider of Union, Mo., Brenda and Dale Broccard, and Juanita and David Winistoerfer of St. Clair, Mo.; grandsons, Adam and Jacob West; and many nieces and nephews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more personal note, this is my father, a man I never really knew.
There were issues in my family between my mother and father and between their families so for whatever reasons that I still am not fully aware of or understand, he wasn't around much after I turned six or seven years old. I do not have many memories of him and the ones I do are not really good ones. I know there had to be some good times with him but unfortunately, I do not remember them.
From the time he left the household to the time he passed away I believe I had only seen him maybe twice. Both meetings were awkward and brief as I really didn't know what to say to him as he was, a stranger to me. During the second meeting, he asked me for a favor, he asked me if I would take him to Texas from Missouri on my way back to California. I said no because it was way out of my way and I was expected back in California at a certain time but that was only half the truth. I really said no because I figured that I owed him nothing so why should I go out of my way for him. Today, all these years after his death, I wish I would have said yes. I did owe him nothing and even today I still feel the same way, but I missed an opportunity that I would never get again. An opportunity to have unanswered questions answered and an opportunity to learn a little more about him. I have heard that he was once a good father and a good man, it would have been nice to find out if that were true.
My father had his demons. He liked his alcohol and was once described to me as the "Best known drunk in Wasilla, Alaska" and that is pretty much how I remember him now. I don't know if there would ever have been a relationship between him and I had he lived longer but I would like to think that at my age today, I would have tried. If nothing else he would have known that he wasn't someone that I just erased from my life and that I did think about him from time to time, and still do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Climis Higgins is listed as Ronald's father only because he is the biological father, but I really wanted to list Jack Elman Wooley (#59282062). Jack came into Ronald's life at a very young age and although there was some contact between Ronald and his biological father in the early days, Jack was probably the only true father that Ronald ever knew.
Anchorage Daily News
April 18, 1996
Section: Metro
Edition: Final
Page: B4
A memorial service will be held in Missouri, where his ashes will be interred in his mother's grave.
Mr. West was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Pacific, Mo., to Jack and Emma Wooley. He attended schools in Pacific and was married to Della Johnston on Dec. 26, 1962. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1957 to December 1959 and received an honorable discharge.
Mr. West came to Alaska in 1972 and had made his home in Wasilla and Anchorage.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Survivors are his sons, Ronald Jr. of California, Dean of Kansas City, Mo., and Mark of Pacific, Mo.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Dwayne and Sue Wooley of Anchorage and Edward and Kathy Wooley of Wasilla; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jackie and Bill Lederle of Villa Ridge, Mo., Elizabeth and Danny Schneider of Union, Mo., Brenda and Dale Broccard, and Juanita and David Winistoerfer of St. Clair, Mo.; grandsons, Adam and Jacob West; and many nieces and nephews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more personal note, this is my father, a man I never really knew.
There were issues in my family between my mother and father and between their families so for whatever reasons that I still am not fully aware of or understand, he wasn't around much after I turned six or seven years old. I do not have many memories of him and the ones I do are not really good ones. I know there had to be some good times with him but unfortunately, I do not remember them.
From the time he left the household to the time he passed away I believe I had only seen him maybe twice. Both meetings were awkward and brief as I really didn't know what to say to him as he was, a stranger to me. During the second meeting, he asked me for a favor, he asked me if I would take him to Texas from Missouri on my way back to California. I said no because it was way out of my way and I was expected back in California at a certain time but that was only half the truth. I really said no because I figured that I owed him nothing so why should I go out of my way for him. Today, all these years after his death, I wish I would have said yes. I did owe him nothing and even today I still feel the same way, but I missed an opportunity that I would never get again. An opportunity to have unanswered questions answered and an opportunity to learn a little more about him. I have heard that he was once a good father and a good man, it would have been nice to find out if that were true.
My father had his demons. He liked his alcohol and was once described to me as the "Best known drunk in Wasilla, Alaska" and that is pretty much how I remember him now. I don't know if there would ever have been a relationship between him and I had he lived longer but I would like to think that at my age today, I would have tried. If nothing else he would have known that he wasn't someone that I just erased from my life and that I did think about him from time to time, and still do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Climis Higgins is listed as Ronald's father only because he is the biological father, but I really wanted to list Jack Elman Wooley (#59282062). Jack came into Ronald's life at a very young age and although there was some contact between Ronald and his biological father in the early days, Jack was probably the only true father that Ronald ever knew.
April 18, 1996
Section: Metro
Edition: Final
Page: B4
A memorial service will be held in Missouri, where his ashes will be interred in his mother's grave.
Mr. West was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Pacific, Mo., to Jack and Emma Wooley. He attended schools in Pacific and was married to Della Johnston on Dec. 26, 1962. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1957 to December 1959 and received an honorable discharge.
Mr. West came to Alaska in 1972 and had made his home in Wasilla and Anchorage.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Survivors are his sons, Ronald Jr. of California, Dean of Kansas City, Mo., and Mark of Pacific, Mo.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Dwayne and Sue Wooley of Anchorage and Edward and Kathy Wooley of Wasilla; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jackie and Bill Lederle of Villa Ridge, Mo., Elizabeth and Danny Schneider of Union, Mo., Brenda and Dale Broccard, and Juanita and David Winistoerfer of St. Clair, Mo.; grandsons, Adam and Jacob West; and many nieces and nephews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more personal note, this is my father, a man I never really knew.
There were issues in my family between my mother and father and between their families so for whatever reasons that I still am not fully aware of or understand, he wasn't around much after I turned six or seven years old. I do not have many memories of him and the ones I do are not really good ones. I know there had to be some good times with him but unfortunately, I do not remember them.
From the time he left the household to the time he passed away I believe I had only seen him maybe twice. Both meetings were awkward and brief as I really didn't know what to say to him as he was, a stranger to me. During the second meeting, he asked me for a favor, he asked me if I would take him to Texas from Missouri on my way back to California. I said no because it was way out of my way and I was expected back in California at a certain time but that was only half the truth. I really said no because I figured that I owed him nothing so why should I go out of my way for him. Today, all these years after his death, I wish I would have said yes. I did owe him nothing and even today I still feel the same way, but I missed an opportunity that I would never get again. An opportunity to have unanswered questions answered and an opportunity to learn a little more about him. I have heard that he was once a good father and a good man, it would have been nice to find out if that were true.
My father had his demons. He liked his alcohol and was once described to me as the "Best known drunk in Wasilla, Alaska" and that is pretty much how I remember him now. I don't know if there would ever have been a relationship between him and I had he lived longer but I would like to think that at my age today, I would have tried. If nothing else he would have known that he wasn't someone that I just erased from my life and that I did think about him from time to time, and still do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Climis Higgins is listed as Ronald's father only because he is the biological father, but I really wanted to list Jack Elman Wooley (#59282062). Jack came into Ronald's life at a very young age and although there was some contact between Ronald and his biological father in the early days, Jack was probably the only true father that Ronald ever knew.
