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Harvesting a Legacy By Sheila Stogsdill
Alice West instilled work ethics in her family, who continue to follow her lead today
Many of Alice West’s hundreds of descendants are carrying her strong work ethic into all lines of work. “Granny (Alice West) always grew a great garden and she passed that on to my dad,” said Jeremy West, one of the hundreds of grandchildren. Alice West’s work ethic was legendary in Delaware County, Okla. Between planting mammoth-size gardens and canning produce, she raised a brood of 13 children in the Whitewater area. Jeremy is a fourth-generation Delaware County resident. He is son of Kelly and Darlene West and the brother of Josh West, who is the Majority Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Jeremy and his wife, coincidentally named Kelly, and their four children,
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Wayland (9), Alice Belle (8), Hope (6) and Hettie (2), own and run Whitewater Hollow Farms. The family-owned farm is located south of Grove. Jeremy and Kelly begin farming and raising cattle around 2009 in the Honey Creek area. In 2017, the family sold their homestead and moved to the Whitewater area. “We started putting together several ‘had-been farms’ in the Whitewater area into one 700-plus acre farm we run now,” Jeremy said. Grove, Okla. Whitewater Hollow Farms is just a stone’s throw from his granny’s homestead. Although the farm was not inherited, Jeremy said what was inherited was “lots of love” and that is priceless. “Our parents gave us all we needed – lots of love and expectations – and a few suggestions along the way,” Jeremy said.
Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
JULY 19, 2021
