Deral Reid West

      Deral Reid West was born on 25 May 1913 in Raymond, Alberta. He was the son of Curtis Andrew West and Iona Larson. He married June Hall, daughter of Orson Hall and Maria Hall, on 22 December 1933 in Taber, Alberta. Deral worked for the Alberta Sugar Company in Raymond from 1933 until he joined the Canadian Navy on 8 May 1944. During his service he spent some time as a crew member on a captured German submarine in Halifax. After his discharge on 1 Mar 1946 he returned to the sugar factory in Raymond. In 1966 he transferred to the factory in Picture Butte. He retired in 1972 after a car accident left him a paraplegic. Deral reminisced about his childhood Christmases in a letter to his grandchildren. He died on 19 May 1989 in Picture Butte, Alberta, at age 75.^1,2 He was buried on 23 May 1989 in Temple Hill Cemetery, Raymond, Alberta.¹ Deral's son-in-law Kassan Kimball Bullock and his younger brother Allen Dee West spoke at his funeral. Transcriptions of their talks are here.

Deral kept a journal from 1977-1989 where he recorded details of his life. It can be viewed here.

An article about the West brothers' years at the Alberta Sugar Company is here.

At the family reunion in 1984, we buried a time capsule. June and Deral recorded a message to be placed in the capsule. That recording can be heard here .