Margareta E. West
Margareta E. West, 87, of Cape Coral, formally of Louisville, Colorado and Hammond, Indiana, died Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008, at The Lakes after a long battle with Lewy-Body dementia. She was born in Berghausen, Germany, near the Rhine River.
She was the wife of Foster H. West, who died in 1970 at age 56. Her son, Terry Lee West, died in 1998 at age 52.
Her mother died when she was 4 years old. She was raised by her paternal grandmother with the help of a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins.
She came to the United States at 16 years of age to escape Hitler’s regime. She worked as a nanny for a nice family in Chicago, before marrying West at 19. They lived in Whiting, Ind., before building their own home brick by brick in Hammond, Ind.
She was a wonderful stay-at-home wife and mother until her husband’s death, then she learned cake decorating and became a professional cake decorator before going to work at Lever Brothers in Whiting, Ind. On retiring, she did respite care, made blankets for deaf children and helped many people.
She was a wonderful wife, mother and friend who always had a twinkle in her eye and a giggle on her lips to brighten everyone’s day.
Survivors include her daughter, Carolyn E. (Herbert) Conant of Cape Coral; son, James E. (Pamela) West, and daughters Olivia West, Tara Jacobson and Julie Jacobson of Norcross, Ga.; daughter-in-law, Nancy West; granddaughters, Regan and Katie West of Boulder, Colo.; and sister, Marilyn Coapstick of Griffith, Ind.
A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at The Lakes Special Care Unit, 7460 Lake Breeze Drive, Fort Myers.
In lieu of flowers, her family requests her legacy of caring be continued through contributions to Hope Hospice, 9470 Health Park Circle, Fort Myers, FL 33908, or to the Alvin Dubin Alzheimer Resource Center Inc., 10051 McGregor Blvd., Suite 101, Fort Myers, FL 33919.
Condolences may be offered at: www.metzfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements by the Metz Chapel of Harvey-Engelhardt-Metz Funeral Homes and Crematory.