Louis is survived by his sister Laverne Brown, son and daughter- in-law Mark and Cheryl West, daughter Dawn Buegeler, and daughter Jamie West. Louis’s grandchildren Bryan Buegeler, Lauren and Cory Thomas West, Caitlin and Jeff Lara, Kristen West, Colton West and greatgrandchildren Quentin Lovette and Jasper Thomas West also anticipate being reunited in Heaven with their G’pa.

Louis was born on Oct. 10, 1936, the youngest of 10.

His biggest passions in life were his love of Jesus, his family, and serving others. As a child, he learned to play piano from his mother and shared his love of music with others by playing piano, singing, and listening to Gospel music.

He credits his father with teaching him to treat others with love and kindness, no matter the circumstances. He loved to tell stories about his family, childhood, and faith.

He dedicated his long life to serving others in the medical field, as a lab tech, orderly, Army medic, and eventually a hospital administrator. After retiring from hospital administration, Louis worked in insurance, helping his customers with their Medicare and long-term care needs.

He became engaged to the love of his life, Betty Hurst West, two weeks after their first date, and they were married two months later in Hobbs, New Mexico on July 29, 1961.

They were separated by Betty’s death in 2005 and are at last together again in Heaven. After caring for Betty’s every need following her strokes in the years preceding her death, Louis became the proud author of “Never Quit Until You Win,” the culmination of his experience as Betty’s caregiver and advocate, telling their journey of love and faith’s endurance.

Prior to his own stroke in 2017, Louis could regularly be found planting tomatoes and flowers in his garden, enjoying a cup of coffee, writing Facebook posts from his dog Preston, visiting with friends at Whataburger, helping children learn to read, and sharing his love of Jesus in his Sunday school class at First Baptist Church. Louis faced medical issues in the latter years of his life, but he never lost his faith and trust in Christ, and he never stopped advocating for himself and others.

His memory is a blessing to all who know him. With his mortal body no longer of use to him, Louis continues to serve others by donating his earthly remains to the McGovern Medical School.

A celebration of Louis’ life at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, at First Baptist Church, 2500 Mallard Lane, Taylor, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, Louis would love for memorial contributions to go to the American Heart Association — www.heart.org.