Ode to the "Ancient Mariner"

I am dedicating this post to my father John "Jackie" West, who died on this day 14 years ago.

"The Ancient Mariner"

John "Jackie" West grew up in Tobyhanna, PA during the Great Depression.  Although times were hard, this did not dampen his enthusiasm for mischief, which he is said to have participated in often. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17 years old and went off to serve his country in World War II. His life was often in considerable danger as he served as a Navigator on Naval ships that sailed the hostile waters off of France and other parts of Europe. "Jackie" would not speak of many of the atrocities that he witnessed during the war, but it was obvious that they affected him deeply.

He survived WWII and was a Navigation Instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He served a total of 22 years in the Navy. When he retired in 1963, he and his family moved from Annapolis, MD to Tobyhanna, PA.  Although Jackie could navigate the ocean with precision, he often got lost on land while driving and would not stop to ask for directions, much to the chagrin of his wife, Nora!  As such, his children lovingly dubbed him as "The Ancient Mariner".  He lived in Tobyhanna with his family until his death on 1 December 1997.

"Jackie" will always be remembered as an imaginative storyteller. His rich tenor voice graced the masses at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in Tobyhanna, where he served as a lector and sang hymns. One of the songs that he loved to sing the most was "Danny Boy", which was sung by a vocalist at his funeral mass in December 1997. There wasn't a dry eye in the church during that song!  After mass, a military funeral detail arrived at St. Catherine's Cemetery in Moscow, PA to give him a most beautiful send-off with a 21 gun salute while a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace".  The funeral detail then played taps on a bugle and then presented a flag to his lovely widow Nora.

Rest in Peace, Jackie!