Calvin Leroy West was born in Syracuse, Neb., on Sept. 18, 1942, and passed away from Leukemia on April 29, 2021, in Houston, Texas. He had a large personality and enjoyed an exciting life. All who knew him admired his positive attitude as he fought through cancer treatment and trials. He never lost hope for a cure. His family and friends will remember special times riding motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs. Cal had an adventurous spirit, loved traveling and collected coins, John Deere memorabilia, belt buckles, and antique tractors. Family and friends enjoyed his famous Swedish pancakes and peanut brittle, which he learned to make from his mother.

Cal studied to be an Ag Equipment Technician at Southeast Community College in Milford, Neb. He started work as a tractor mechanic at a small Oliver Tractor dealership in Syracuse, Neb. He worked his way up to being a regional sales rep for White Farm Equipment in Liverpool, N.Y., and eventually co-owning and managing a group of 5 John Deere dealerships.

Cal moved to Sterling, Colo., in 1977 and enjoyed a successful business career as an owner and general manager of Valley Implement/MV Equipment John Deere dealerships and numerous other local investments in the Northeastern Colorado area. He was actively involved in the Elks and Rotary Club and the Logan County Chamber of Commerce. He was very involved in the farm equipment industry and served on boards of the National Equipment Dealers Assn. and the Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. As a businessperson, he was known for his belief in the importance of developing people. He frequently spoke at national conferences on workforce development, and he actively supported agriculture career programs at Northeastern Junior College, and Southeast Community College.

In recent years, Cal kept himself busy helping BigIron Auctions with business development and serving on the board of AKRS Equipment. Cal's passion for hard work and keen business insights will be remembered by all who worked with him through the years.