Adrienne Kay Salm, 70, quietly transitioned from this physical plane to the spiritual life beyond on May 14, 2024, at her home in Morgantown.
Adrienne was born on July 9, 1953, in Pittsburgh to Katherine V. Porter and John J. Salm.
She lived her early childhood in Coraopolis, Pa., Saugerties, N.Y., and finally, Downers Grove, Ill., moving due to her father’s work transfers. She was a well-rounded child with many interests, including a love for animals and the natural world. She excelled in school basics while also taking extracurricular piano lessons. Music held a special place in her heart as she had abundant exposure to it from both parents. Popular and talented in middle and high school, she worked hard to obtain a coveted cheerleader position.
The interests that ultimately captured her intelligence and quick-witted personality were psychology, spirituality and neurophysiology. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University and her master’s and Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Psychology from Michigan State University in Lansing, Mich.
Adrienne then moved to North Carolina in the late 80s to work on a post-doc fellowship in the Department of Pharmacology/Curriculum in Neurobiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her job searches took her to a faculty position in Morgantown at West Virginia University School of Medicine, where she taught medical students anatomy and ran a research lab. With her NIH-funded research, she published many studies and papers. She initially became a professor and associate chair for the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. In 2017, she became a professor in the Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine in the School of Medicine.
Adrienne met the love of her life, Dave West, while living in her home on Wildwood Lake, surrounded by Morgantown mountain beauty. The household and grounds were also home to a menagerie of pets: dogs, cats and even a flying squirrel named Rocky. Ducks, geese, fish and frogs occupied the lake, while a variety of birds took advantage of the feeders on the outside porch.
They bought the fix-up house a couple of lots down and refurbished it, making it a high-demand vacation rental on the lake. This added to the investment home already in their portfolio located in the North Carolina Outer Banks. Adrienne enjoyed and was quite skilled at interior design, turning their ho-hum rentals into stylish, decorated “getaways.” They were a good match, as Dave did the heavy construction tasks.
In 2019, Adrienne retired and became Professor Emeritus, still going into the office and lab when her expertise was needed for special projects. A kind and loving person, Adrienne always demonstrated consideration and thoughtfulness toward others. One way she gave her time was her volunteer work on the Governor’s Council on Child Abuse. She was the only scientist on the dozen or so-person panel.
An often-pondered dream of Adrienne’s was to retire, at least part-time, at the North Carolina house on Albemarle Sound, just east of Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright brothers did their first flight. They recently built a new dock and bought a small motorboat to putter around on the Sound, further improving the fun factor of their North Carolina OBX home.
Adrienne is survived by her partner, David W. West, of Morgantown; her son, Jason A. West, of Morgantown; her two siblings, Kathryn L. Salm, of Tucson, Ariz., Richard D. Salm, of Superior, Colo.; her sister-in-law, Marion R. Salm, of Dartmouth, Mass.; her niece, Kristine and husband, Alex Baker; her cousin and husband, Raeleen and Sam Sununtnasuk; her nieces and nephew, Damon Sununtnasuk and wife, Kindall Hogenson, Janelle Sununtnasuk, Celeste Sununtnasuk; cousins, Cliff, Linda and John Porter and their families. Adrienne is also fondly remembered by her stepfather, George Vorel’s children, her stepsiblings, Rose Vorel and wife, Deb Weadock, stepbrother, Will and wife, Diane Vorel, stepbrother, Mike Vorel and wife, Angela, stepsister, Beth Vorel, stepsister, Charlotte Vorel and family.
A memorial service will be held at Fred Jenkins Funeral Home at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17. Those wishing to make a charitable donation in her honor may do so at either The Ocean Conservancy or The Nature Conservancy.
Condolences:
www.fredjenkinsfuneralhome.com
