Richard C. West

RANDOLPH – Retired U.S. Army Maj. Richard C. West, 85, died Saturday, March 21, 2026 at the Maine Veterans Home, Augusta, after many years of dealing with issues of cancer relating to combat service in Vietnam.

He was born in Ticonderoga, N.Y. on July 7, 1940, the son of Fenton E. West and Mae (Clark) West.

Dick graduated from Minerva Central School in 1958. He was class president and student director of band and chorus. He attended several colleges while in the military, eventually graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s degree in Business.

Dick retired from the U.S. Army in 1981 after spending 21 ½ years in service to his country. He enlisted in February 1960 and attended basic training at Ft. Dix, N.J. After basic training, he went to Jump School with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Dick was assigned to Germany where he spent 4 ½ years. After attaining the rank of staff sergeant (E-6), he was accepted for Officer’s Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Ga. He received his commission as a second lieutenant.

Dick served two tours of combat in Vietnam and two years in Thailand in support of the Vietnam War, receiving many awards and medals including the Combat Infantry Badge, four Bronze Stars, Purple Heart and many others to include the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

Dick graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. in 1979. He finished his distinguished career serving as deputy senior Army advisor to the Maine Army National Guard in Augusta, where he retired and remained living until his death.

Dick spent over 20 years as an insurance representative for many different insurance agencies while pursuing a career in state government with the Maine State Police, as an Identification Specialist, finally leaving the work place in 2002.

His hobbies and interests included fishing, downhill skiing and collecting artifacts.

Dick was a longtime member of the Maine State Employees Union (MSEA/SEIU Local 1989). He enjoyed serving and representing his fellow members as president of his own chapter (Jay Poor-Richard West Chapter) and that of Area II Retirees Chapter over the years as a delegate and member.

Dick believed in giving back to the community through different charitable organizations which he belonged to. He was a member of the Augusta Rotary Club for many years and most enjoyed serving his church in different capacities. He and his wife Susan loved doing nursing home ministries along with going on Mission Trips to Mexico, representing the Kennebec Valley Assembly of God Church in Chelsea. He was also a member of American Legion Post #4 of Gardiner and a lifetime member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Dick married his wife, Susan Fisher, in 1961 in Catskill, N.Y. They were married for 64 years. Dick first met Susan while they were growing up as kids at the lake in Minerva, N.Y Sue spent her first 14 years in Brooklyn, N.Y. and later moved to Catskill, N.Y. Together, Dick and Sue enjoyed a lifetime of living together in over 20 different places, including the countries of Germany and Thailand. Family meant the world to Dick and Sue. They loved family gatherings.

Dick was predeceased by his father and mother; three brothers, Fenton J. West, Sonny West and Wayne West, a sister, Mae E. West; and a granddaughter, Brianna.

Surviving is his wife, Susan West, of Randolph; five children who have been a blessing to them over their lives, Elizabeth Jayne Hiltz and her husband the Rev. Dr. William Hiltz of Marion, Ill., Retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel C. West and his wife Barbara Seaver-West of Windsor, Debra G. Ettinger and her husband David of Sidney, David C. West and his wife Ann of Farmingdale, Dean C. West and his wife Tanya of Oxford; grandchildren, Charity, Jonathan, Michael, Daniel, Brian, Aubree, Dakota, Ryan, Brooke, Jennifer, Noah, Tyler, Jacob, Tucker and Senior Airman Jillian; great-grandchildren, Azariah, Silas, Phoebe, Riley, Grey, Payton Mae; a brother, Neil West and his wife Doris of Farmington, N.Y., a sister, Rhoda Kelly and her husband Jim of Glens Falls, N.Y.; along with many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends may visit on Sunday, March 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta where a funeral service will be held on Monday, March 30 at 10 a.m. Burial with military honors will follow in Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Mt. Vernon Road, Augusta.

Condolences to the family may be expressed via the funeral home website at http://www.plummerfh.com.