Gale L. West, 96, a former town of Plover chairman and Portage County Board member, died Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010, under the care of Ministry Home Hospice Care at the Stevens Point Care Center.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Plover-Shuda Family Funeral Home and Crematory, with the Rev. Howard Hintzman officiating.
Visitation will be at the funeral home from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and again from 10 a.m. Friday until the services.
Memorials in lieu of flowers can be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Plover.
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.ploverfuneralhome.com.
Mr. West was born April 18, 1913, in Lind Center, a son of the late Pope and Ethel (Jacklin) West. He attended school in Lind Center and later helped his father delivering milk to residents of Waupaca.
As a young man he assisted his uncle, Elwyn West, in his aircraft business. When was unable to get a pilot's license due to his eyesight, he moved to Dishman, Wash., where he, his uncle, Ben Jacklin, and Ben's sons Lyle, Owen, and Arden, together formed the Jacklin seed company.
He entered the United States Army on Feb. 24, 1941, in Spokane, Wash. He served his country as a Tec 4 and was involved in many battles and campaigns, including Tunisian, Naples, Foggia, Rome, Arno, Southern France, Rhineland and Central Europe, He earned the European-African-Middle Eastern Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the American Defense Service Medal. He was honorably discharged on Sept. 18, 1945, from Fort Lewis, Wash.
He was married to LoRayne Tuttle (Rhodes) on Nov. 18, 1946, and adopted her children, Terry and Brenda. They later divorced.
In 1955 he left the Jacklin Seed Company and Washington and returned to Wisconsin. He was involved with construction work and helped build West Dairy milking parlor.
He was married to Evelyn (Page) Eickendorf on July 2, 1960. She died in 1996.
They developed Weslan subdivisions in the town of Plover and the town of Grand Rapids in Wood County.
While residents of the town of Plover, he served on numerous boards and committees in which he received many honors and was chairman of the village of Plover and also was the town's County Board representative.
Survivors include one daughter, Brenda (West) Wooldridge, Newberg, Ore.; three stepdaughters, Donna Adamski, Plover, Dorene (Jerry) Chojnacki, Whiting, and Linda Meronk, Plover; and one stepson, Jack (Linda) Eickendorf, town of Hull.
He was also preceded in death by one son, Terry; three brothers, Arlyn, Merrill and Clifton; one sister, Ida Weller; and one stepgrandson.