West, David Ripley 'Rip' Age 92, of Wayzata, beloved father and grandfather, passed away peacefully Thursday, August 8, 2019. He was born in Minneapolis and graduated from The Blake School. A WW2 vet, he enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and served his country in the Pacific. Upon returning, he enrolled and graduated from Williams College. He married Helen Kingman West and they settled in North Oaks, where they raised four children and made lifelong friends. Rip earned his CPA and founded Johnson & West public accounting firm in St. Paul and serviced clients throughout the Midwest for many years. He was proud of the fact that he "flunked" retirement three times as he went on to form a financial planning partnership, West and Howard, with his Blake classmate, Bill Howard. His last venture was as a consultant to two competing financial software firms which both vied for his expertise. Rip enjoyed a good game of bridge and was an accomplished player achieving the rank of Life Master. At the age of 55, Rip biked across the entire country on the Bicentennial trail. An avid biker, he and Helen subjected their family and friends to several bike trips across Wisconsin, the North Shore and many places throughout the U.S. and Europe. He loved playing his ukulele and singing at family gatherings, listening to old style jazz and his time in the Colorado mountains. In his later years he enjoyed taking road trips and spending time with his special friend, Nancy Stone. Throughout his life Rip was fun to be around and made everyone feel welcome. He will be missed for his quick wit, thoughtfulness and enormous generosity. Rip is preceded in death by his wife, Helen and is survived by his son David (Miriam), and daughters Jody, Holly (Tom) and Sue (Van), four grandchildren, Tyler, Weston, Casey and Skyler as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 24 at 10:30 a.m. at Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the charity of your choice.

Published on August 18, 2019