Judge Thomas G. West
Appellate Court Judge Thomas G. West, 84, of Danbury, husband of Mary (Alves) West, died on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Judge West was born in Danbury, November 13, 1934, a son of George and Elizabeth (Roah) West.
He attended Danbury schools, graduated from Danbury High School with the Class of 1952 and initially employed with the Amphenol Company as his means to afford a college education. Judge West graduated from Western Connecticut State College in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1969.
Judge West served as a Superior Court Judge starting in February of 1984. In his 18 years on the bench, he presided over housing, criminal, civil and administrative cases in courthouses in Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk and Waterbury. He was Administrative Judge in Danbury from 1988 to 1993. He was appointed to the Appellate Court in March of 2002 and was sworn in on April 19, 2002.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge West worked for the Norwalk, Stamford and Danbury Regional Legal Services. He was also a partner in the law firm of Ventura, Ventura and West P.C. from 1969 to 1981 and served as part time Assistant Corporation Counsel to the City of Danbury from 1979 to 1984. He maintained his own law practice from 1981 to 1984.
Judge West was elected to the Danbury Common Council in 1971, serving two years. He was named Alumnus of the Year by Western Connecticut State University in 1984 and received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Danbury Branch of the NAACP in 1990.
He served on the Board of Directors for the Northern Fairfield County United Way, Camp Fire Girls, Inc. and the Danbury Branch of the NAACP. He also is a former member of the Patient & Community Relations Committee of the Danbury Hospital’s Board of Directors.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959.
In addition to his wife Mary of fifty four years, Judge West is survived by three sons, Joseph and his wife Dawn Burdick of Bridgewater, Thomas Jr. and his wife Debra Ann of Stamford and Michael and his wife Regina of Danbury; seven grandchildren, Johnell, Zane, Michaela, Jordan, Zachary, Elijah and Ava. In addition to his parent, Judge West was predeceased by a sister Iris Randall.
Relatives and friends will be received on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home, 9-11 Granville Ave., Danbury.
Funeral services and interment will be private.
Contributions in Judge West’s memory may be made to Regional Hospice and Palliative Care of Western CT, 30 Milestone Rd., Danbury, CT 06810.
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