William "Billy" West

William Bratton "Billy" West, 90, retired owner of Beltone Hearing Aid Center and resident of Kippsford Pond Road, died Friday, May 1, 2015 at NHC Hillview. Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday at 11:00 A.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Bob Adair and Jim Matthews officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The family will visit with friends Monday from 4:00 - 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials to Zion Christian Academy, 6901 Old Zion Road, Columbia, TN 38401 or Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee, P. O. Box 1926, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born December 13, 1924 in Columbia, he was the son of the late James Lochridge West and Mary Elizabeth Jones West. He was married to Dannie Eleanor Welch West who preceded him in death on May 30, 1997. The 1943 graduate of Columbia Central High School served in the U. S. Army during World War II. He saw combat duty in Europe with the 42nd Rainbow Division and earned the European Theatre Ribbon with Two Bronze Stars. Mr. West was Past Commander of Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19 and Past Exalted Ruler of Elks Lodge #686. He had served as Director of SunTrust Bank South in Savannah, Tennessee. Having been appointed by three governors, he served a total of three terms on the State of Tennessee Board of Hearing Aid Dispensers. He was also Past President of Tennessee Hearing Aid Society and Past Member of the Advisory Council to the President of Beltone Electronics Corp. Mr. West was a member of First United Methodist Church and the Ayres Whitney Fellowship Class. Survivors include his daughter, Mary Frances (Ed) Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina; son, Dr. Daniel Welch (Karla) West of Columbia; grandchildren, Ryan Elizabeth (Jamie) Hollingsworth, Mary Welch (Ryan) Stasik, Frances Lauren Fox (fiancé Andrew Pettit), all of Charleston, South Carolina; Baylor Elizabeth DeFord West of Columbia; great grandchildren, Christian Baker Hollingsworth, Brody West Hollingsworth, Amelia West Stasik; and special friends, Marjorie Fann, Janice Flowers, Vicki Brumfield, and Stephanie Massey. He was preceded in death by a brother, James Lochridge West of Little Rock, Arkansas. Active pallbearers will be Jim Parks, Bobby Morgan, Jamie Hollingsworth, Randy Bratton, Ryan Stasik, Jim Matthews, Henry Harris, and Richard Matthews. Honorary pallbearers will be David Locke, Buddy Fisher, Burton Whiteside, Bill Page, Dr. Harold Pryor, Joseph Overton, Rufus Ross, and Charles Pigg.