Elsie West

Elsie Rosemary West peacefully departed her loving family and friends on July 1, 2025, while in a nursing home in Virginia. She was born on January 1, 1941, in Limon, Costa Rica, Central America, to the late Cecil Foulkes Gaynor and Silvia Gwendolyn Shand Pinnock. At 15 years old (as was customary in Costa Rica) she married Raymond West. From this union came four children: Roy West, Eliandra West (Eleonor), Enrique West, and Jose West. In 1963, at 22 years of age, she entrusted the four children to relatives on both sides of the family and lawfully emigrated to live in upstate New York to become a live-in nanny and housekeeper. Thus began her lifelong vocation of caring for multitudes of children (her own and others). In New York She worked tirelessly through many harrowing hours to save enough money to bring her husband to the U.S. In 1966, she fulfilled her dream of returning to Costa Rica to bring her children to New York. And while her union with Raymond West did not last, Elsie and Raymond remained friends. Since her divorce in the late 1970’s, she devoted her life to supporting her three children. Working most of her career as a home health aide, Elsie was known for her dedication and steadfast work ethic. She later earned her GED high school diploma and worked for several decades as a Nurse’s Aide at Letchworth Village and at Rockland State Hospital. A work-related injury and subsequent disability led her to retire early. She later moved to Virginia where she continued helping people that she became acquainted with. As recently as 2016, while in her 70’s, she volunteered to drive her car to transport food pantry workers as they delivered meals to individuals who were themselves elderly and disabled. If there was a need that she could fulfill, she found a way to contribute. One of Elsie’s greatest legacies was the loving impact she left on the lives of her children and grandchildren. When one son’s marriage fell apart, she welcomed his four children into her home without hesitation, sending them to school and attending to their doctor’s appointments. A decade or two later, when another son experienced problems raising his children, she stepped in to babysit three of his children for several years. Her home was open to all children, no matter the pressure that the newfound responsibility had on her finances. Her kindness and sense of humor lifted her children, grandchildren, co-workers, fellow volunteers, and friends alike. Elsie West was the quintessential mother. When her younger sister Dorothy passed away several decades ago, it was not a question that she would raise Dorothy's son, Raynold. Raynold came to us as a darling little three year old who called Elsie, Ma. Elsie lived long enough to see her son shower her with love and ultimate respect as he devoted himself to seeing to her needs, no matter where he was in the world. This was one of Elsie's crowning achievements--to have raised such a thoughtful and responsible adult despite his early loss of a parent. Elsie is survived by her: son, Roy West, her daughter, Eliandra West (Rakaua Tishutanu), her son, Enrique West, her son, Jose West, and her son, Raynold Alston. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Sedequa, Shawana, Jemel, Shakisha, Ricky, Kadijah, Zalika, and Gardy, Hehkhepri-Sabaq, Yamata, Hrisaameska, Jonathan, Jessica, Justin, Jason, Julius, Laya, Amarra. She is also survived by her great grandchildren, Jalen, Rontez, Lyrik, Le’Gend, Jason, Markira, and Markquies. She is also survived by her great-great grandchildren Major and Mason. Elsie was a loving and caring person.

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Elsie West

July 1, 2025