Alan West Born, Medford , Oregon , July 5, 1931 – Died, Mt. Vernon , Washington , August 2, 2011. Son of Grace and Flavius West, grew up in Seattle, attended Queen Anne High School , then served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a radio man and photographer. While on duty with an ice breaker on Lake Superior, he met Nancy Bellamy, of Duluth, Minnesota . Once out of the service, he and Nancy got married and he went back to school, earning a business degree from the University of Washington . He was a member of the Tri-Delta Fraternity and the UW crew team. After graduation he worked as a stock broker for Dean Witter & Company in Portland and Seattle. He had a life-long love of travel and the outdoors. He liked to go hiking and camping with his buddies. He also bought a 29-foot Pearson sailboat, christened the Belle Amie, and sailed the family all over the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands . He was a devoted father, coaching his boys' baseball teams and joining YMCA's "Indian Guides". In the 1970s, he left the stock business and bought Valley Travel in Mount Vernon, which he ran for nearly 30 years. This allowed Alan and Nancy to take "fam (familiarization) trips" all over the world. He was also active in local service groups, including the Kiwanis Club. The biggest change in his life, though, was not in his career, but his heart. In his forties he was diagnosed with malignant skin cancer on his back, and began to think about where he would spend eternity. He confessed his sins to God and prayed, asking Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior. For the rest of his life he followed the Lord, actively serving in many ministries, as a usher, deacon, elder, as well as leading home groups and Bible studies with international students. In later years he rediscovered his interest in photography, exhibiting and selling nature scenes at the Pickle Barn and other art shows in the Skagit Valley area. He will be fondly remembered for his tender heart, humble spirit and his dry sense of humor. He is survived by Nancy, his wife of 55 years, his children Randall (Shannon), Russell, Richard (Nikki), and Lynn (Derek), as well as 14 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Donations may be made to the Bethany Covenant Diaconate Benevolent Fund or the charity of your choice. Memorial service at Bethany Covenant Church, 11 a.m., Saturday, August 13.