WEST, James Rodney: Died 1985

WEST, THOMPSON, ROBERTS, JOHNSON, DREVS

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 2/28/2022 at 18:37:47

**Handwritten: VB Reg 17 Jan 1985

Son Of Former Pastor Killed In Crash

FARMINGTON The son of a former pastor of the Farmington Church of the Nazarene, James Rodney West, 16, of Estherville, was killed in a three car crash at 10;40 p.m. Saturday five miles east of Arnolds Park on a county blacktop road A-31.

West's parents are the Rev. and Mrs. Ed West of Estherville. The youth's father started serving as pastor of the Farmington Church of the Nazarene on Nov. 2, 1969 and served here for five years.
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**Handwritten: LR 17 Jan 1985

Pastor's son killed

The son of a former pastor of the Farmington Church of the Nazarene, James Rodney West, 16, of Estherville, was killed in a three-car crash at 10:40 p.m. Saturday five miles east of Arnolds Park on a county black-top road A-31.

Also killed in the accident was the driver of the car in which West was a passenger, Jerry Lee Thompson, 17, and another passenger, Steven Craig Roberts, 16, also of Estherville.

The driver of one of the other vehicles, Bryan Dean Johnson, 16, also of Estherville, was listed in critical condition at the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota.

Officers reported that students were returning to Estherville from Spirit Lake in a caravan of about eight cars and that the Thompson and Johnson cars were apparently near the head of the east-bound caravan.

According to a report from the Dickinson county sheriff's department, Thompson pulled out to pass the Johnson car. The Thompson auto then sideswiped a west-bound car driven by Julie M. Drevs, 18, of Estherville and then struck a driveway, struck a tree, and came to rest against another tree. Johnson's car also went into a ditch, hit a driveway, struck a tree and stopped about 10 feet from a farmhouse.

The Drevs car went into a ditch and stopped. Drevs was not hurt, according to the report.

The funeral for West was held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Union Baptist Church in Estherville. The Fuhrman Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

West's parents are the Rev. and Mrs. Ed West of Estherville. The youth's father started serving as pastor of the Farmington Church of the Nazarene on November 2, 1969 and served here for five years.

Source: "Scrapbook 1981 - 1985", Pg. 220,
Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, Van Buren Co., IA