Dr. Michael Carl West

Dr. Michael Carl West passed away peacefully at the Hospice Valley Center in Steubenville, OH on Saturday, August 12th, 2023. He had been battling a two-year fight with cancer.
Born in East Liverpool on September 24th, 1957, he was the son of the late Harold West and late Sandra West.
He married Tammy S. Stevens on July 5th, 1986. They just recently celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary.
Michael graduated from Oak Glen High School in 1976 and from the WVU School of Dentistry in 1984. Michael opened his own practice of General Dentistry in New Cumberland, WV in 1985 and worked as a dentist for over 30 years. Former patients of his loved how his lobby, office, and dental room were all decorated in Wizard of Oz, The Three Stooges, and Zombie décor. He was phenomenal with his dentistry craft. When he became ill, he had to retire from dentistry.
Aside from Dentistry, Michael was also known as a basketball coach. He coached both of his daughters and coached a numerous number of others. Many of his former players have wonderful memories of Coach West and his goofiness but also his compassion as a coach.
Michael was a devout member of the Church of Christ Virginia, Ave Chester, WV for over 35 years. He was known for his song-leading skills, his powerful devotionals, his mentorship to several members of the church, his bible classes, and of course his faith in God.
A passion of Michael's, that not too many know about, was the horror genre. He enjoyed it in all forms whether it be literature, film, and comic books to name a few. His favorite type of scare was that of zombies.
His favorite novel was "I Am Legend" which was then turned into his favorite movie, "Last Man on Earth". This love of zombie horror stories led Michael to being one of the early adopters of podcasting, 'The Library of the Living Dead'. For many years, this podcast was highly rated and attracted many listeners, especially authors of horror novels.
Many of these authors were just starting out and looking for a chance to publish their work. Michael ended up featuring these authors on his podcast. From there, he decided to turn the Library of the Living Dead into a publishing company and gave some of these authors an opportunity to publish their work. Because of this kind gesture by Michael, the author's books began to hit the marketplace. Michael then decided to sponsor a new horror film convention in Pittsburgh.
Michael's sponsorship helped this well known convention to become what it is today. This Horror Realm convention will be celebrating its 15th year anniversary next year due to Michael's early support. The success of introducing his authors to a convention crowd inspired Michael to travel the country with his authors to other conventions.
Michael's passion for horror and helping others succeed created friendship and a community that will live on for many years to come.
Michael leaves to cherish his memories; his wife, Tammy West of New Cumberland, two daughters Sarah (Geoff Hill) of New Cumberland, WV, and Rachel (Tyler Kelly) of East Liverpool, OH, two beloved grandchildren Joshua (Sarah and Geoff Hill) and Harper (Rachel and Tyler Kelly) whom he was an incredible Pappy to. He also leaves his younger sister Abby Cox (Brad) and nephew, Ryan of Morgantown, WV.
Minister Rico Brown of the Church of Christ in Chester will celebrate Michael's life at the Church of Christ Virginia Ave in Chester on Friday, August 18, 2023, at 11:00am. He will be laid to rest at the Locust Hill Cemetery in Chester with his parents. Friends are invited to visit with the family at the Church of Christ Virginia Ave on Thursday, from 5:00-8:00 PM, August 17, 2023. The Arner Funeral Chapel was entrusted with Michael's arrangements.
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