Michael Wade (Mike) West of Fairhope, Alabama, passed away on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Thomas Hospital at the age of 68. Mike’s life was a testament to love and courage. He never gave up through all of his health trials, and he served as an inspiration to those who knew and loved him.
Mike was born on May 29, 1956, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to the late Melvin Wade and Glenda Gail West, and he grew up in Cottondale, Alabama. He was raised in a family that valued the love of God and the devotion to family and friends, values that Mike carried with him throughout his life. He was a member of the Cottondale Christian Church.
In 1976, Mike married Tina, his high school sweetheart. Their marriage was one of love and mutual respect, marked by a deep bond that lasted 48 years. Together, they raised their wonderful daughter Kristi. As a father, husband, PaPa, and brother, Mike always put his family’s needs first.
A proud graduate of Holt High School, where he played both football and baseball, Mike always supported the Cottondale and Holt communities. His love of athletics led him to serve as a high school football referee and a youth league umpire for both softball and baseball.
Mike is survived by his devoted wife Tina Shinholster West; his daughter Kristina Marie West Hicks and her husband John; his cherished granddaughters Ava Jewell, Scarlett Ann, and Adlene Rosenau Hicks; his brother Jeffrey Lane West and his wife Kimberly; his nephew Hunter West; his nieces Ashley West and Rachel Horton; and his mother-in-law Lois Ann Hutchins. He also leaves behind a host of extended family and friends who will forever remember his adventurous spirit and his humorous nature.
A celebration of Mike’s life will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Heritage Chapel Funeral Home, 5200 Old Birmingham Highway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404. Visitation will be in the chapel one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park Cemetery immediately following the service.
Pallbearers will be David Ember, Ronnie Guy, Gary Mims, Rickey Skelton, Alan Waycaster, and Charlie West.
Honorary pallbearers are the Holt High School Class of 1974; members of the Cottondale Christian Church; members of the Fairhope United Methodist Church; the doctors and medical staff of Fairhope Fresenius Dialysis Center; friends and neighbors of Riverstation; Mike White; special “stretcher friends” David and Elisa Ember, Ronnie and Sandy Guy, Gary and Becky Mims, Rickey and Nancy Skelton, Charlie and Debbie West, and Dana Clements.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mike’s memory to Breakthrough T1D.org (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation); Focus50+.org; or the charity of your choice.
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