Helen West
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1949 - 2018
On 13 July 2018, beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend Helen West passed away in Thousand Oaks.
Helen was born in Memphis, TN, the youngest of 3 children from the family of William Howard and Verla Snow. She was only 3-years old when her father died. Her mother, a devout Christian and devoted parent, raised Helen in the faith and also nurtured what would become Helen's passion for football, especially at her father's alma mater, the University of Alabama. Roll Tide!
Helen met her husband Robert as a college student in Searcy, AR, with a small part in a theater production which he directed. They married in 1972, and their love of theater brought them to sunny California, beginning with the theater department at Pepperdine University, and continuing into Hollywood where Helen worked as a story editor for many films, including the first draft of an Indiana Jones film. The next time you hear Harrison Ford say, "Shorty, get our stuff," know that the uncredited author of that piece of dialog was Helen West. For the next decade she read and recommended television scripts for the Disney Channel.
In the 1990s, Helen shifted gears and entered a career as an Executive Assistant where her kind and gregarious nature, alongside her wit and curiosity, led to many lifelong friendships. It was also during this time that she faced and beat cancer.
Above all, Helen was Bob's committed wife and partner for 46 years and a mold-breaker of a mom. An inexhaustible support system for her 3 boys, her love and generosity spilled out beyond them and onto their friends and spouses who grieve alongside the family today. She is survived by her loving husband, as well as their sons Chris, Rob, and Dave.
Visitation will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 25 at Griffin Family Funeral Chapels, 101 E. Wilbur Road, Thousand Oaks. A celebration of her life, officiated by her brother, Minister Jim Howard, will begin the same day at 1:00 p.m. also at the Griffin Family Funeral Chapels. Interment will follow at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo, with a reception scheduled afterward at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, 588 Camino Manzanas, Thousand Oaks. Donations in Helen's name may be made to the City of Hope https://www.cityofhope.org/giving/donate. Arrangements are under the direction of Griffin Family Funeral Chapels (805)230-2800.