James Dean West, of DeQueen, AR, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 2, 2020, at the age of 55. He was preceded in death by his father, James Franklin West, and his nephew, Michael Purtell.

James was born on July 2, 1965 to parents, James and Donna West. He spent his early childhood in Ponca City, OK before the family moved to southeast Oklahoma. As a child, James had special fondness for his grandparents and spent many hours, later in life, telling stories of the things he did with them and showing keepsakes that he remembered them by. James graduated Valedictorian from Smithville High School in 1983. In addition to his roller-skating skills, James was known to be an artistic young man. Throughout his life, James produced art in a variety of mediums and created many beautiful carvings, paintings, and photographs. He enjoyed the beauty of the creation that surrounded him and did his best to capture that in his artwork.

James is survived by a large family. These include his beloved wife of 19 years, Karen West; daughter, Brandi Going of Broken Bow, OK; and daughter, Kasaundra Hayes of Surprise, AZ. James never made any secret of how much he loved these girls and treasured them. In addition, James leaves behind his favorite recent family additions, 3 grandchildren: granddaughter/new fellow Godzilla enthusiast, Gracie and his 2 beloved grandsons, David and Logan. Since becoming "Papa", James could hardly talk about anything else but his love for his grandchildren and the plans he had for each of them in the future. James is also survived by his mother, Donna West; special nephew, J.J. West; 4 sisters: Amy Bartow, Jamie Reynolds, Tamilea Denmon, and Karen Davis; son-in-law, Ty Going, as well as a large number of nephews, nieces, cousins, and many dear friends.

As a Christian, James had a firm belief in the Bible's hope of a resurrection, as outlined in John 5:28, 29. He especially looked forward to a resurrection on earth so that he could continue to enjoy all of the things that brought him joy: music, woodworking/carving, building, creating art, cooking, spending time with his family, and feeding them a variety of delicious food, in abundance, whether they were hungry or not. While mourning his absence now, his family look forward to enjoying those things again with him in the future.

James was very concerned about keeping his family as safe as possible during this pandemic. Therefore, we will be holding an online only service through Zoom on October 10 ^th , 2020, at 4:30 P.M. CST. We will be using the Public Meeting link of the Broken Bow, OK Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. To view the service, Join the Meeting through the Zoom app or online at http://www.zoom.us . Enter meeting ID: 773 290 981 and Password: 74728.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Brotherton Brothers Cremation Services in Fort Smith, 914 N. 32nd St. Fort Smith, AR  72903. (479) 434-3901 or (479) 965-8202 - You may also visit our new Facebook page, Brotherton Brothers Cremation Services in Fort Smith.

In lieu of flowers, individuals may contribute to a Memorial Fund for the family on GoFundMe at: https://gf.me/u/y3wy6c

To pay an online tribute, please visit, www.brothertonbrothersfuneralhomes.com .