Roy "Joe" Joseph West Obituary (1953

Roy Joseph (Joe) West of Caliente, Nevada (and recently of Provo, Utah), our son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather, completed his mortal journey and passed away on April 8, 2018 after an intense battle with ALS. Joe was born to LeRoy Lewis West and Lorna (Hamblin) West in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 1, 1953. He was the middle of five siblings with one sister and three brothers. He was raised in mostly San Jose, CA, and as a child he loved baseball and getting into trouble. He is a lifelong, avid fan of the San Francisco Giants and he also loves BYU sports, the Golden State Warriors, and the San Francisco 49ers. Joe spent his life serving others. He served an LDS mission to Western Australia from 1972 to 1974 and served in and around Adelaide and Perth. He loved his mission and often referred to the experiences and people there. On the day he was released from his LDS mission, he went for a walk with his sweetheart, Dannielle Lu (Loveall) West, on a beach near Santa Cruz, CA and proposed to her. They were married in the Oakland, CA temple on December 28, 1974. They have been married for over 43 years, raised seven children, and lived in 5 US States and in Germany. Their home was always open to anyone who needed a place to stay, a family’s love and support, a shoulder to cry on, or a listening ear. Joe and Dannielle taught, by deed more than word, the importance of having open minds and hearts and non-judgmental and unconditional love for all. Joe served in the United States Army from 1976 to 1980. He trained as an Army Medic and Psychiatric Technician at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He then served at the Military Psychiatric Hospital in West Berlin, Germany from 1977 to his honorable discharge in 1980. Joe completed an Associate’s degree in Sociology at Ricks College, Bachelor's in Psychology at the University of Maryland, and Master’s degree in Social Work at Sacramento State University. Joe worked as a Clinical Social Worker and mental health counselor for over 40 years. He began his career in the military and served people in need in California, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. He dedicated his life to helping people, especially youth and families, recover from addiction, trauma and abuse, family problems, and other struggles with mental health and emotional difficulties. He also volunteered with the Red Cross as a volunteer mental health crisis worker and helped people during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and many wildfires and floods in the Intermountain West. Even though he was always busy with school, multiple jobs, and volunteer work, he woke up early to teach early morning seminary for many years in Twin Falls, ID, Placerville, CA, and Burney, CA. Sharing the gospel was so important to him. Besides his full time mission, he served as a ward missionary and stake missionary and was a Ward Mission Leader in seven different wards. He also served in many church callings from counselor in a bishopric to Cub Scout leader, and regardless of where he served, he loved teaching the gospel. Until his ALS diagnosis, he had been looking forward to serving another full-time mission with his eternal companion. He was called to a different mission and we know he is teaching people there, just as he always did here. Joe is survived by his mother, Lorna (Hamblin) West, his wife, Dannielle Lu (Loveall) West, his seven children and their spouses, Jim and Kristy West, Aaron and Tara West, Mandy and Bondy Miller, Starla and David Packer, Alisha and Dionte Murrell, Kaylin and Michael Hill, Acasia and David Riddle, and 19 grandchildren with another expected in August. He is also survived by his siblings and their spouses, Sherrie and Reed Finlayson, Lee and Susan West, Steven and Wendy West, Scott and Edith West, and numerous nieces, nephews, and many other family and friends. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, April 16, 2018 at the Edgemont 8th Ward Chapel, 3050 Mojave Lane, Provo, Utah. Friends may call from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Provo City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.