Kevin Lance West

Kevin Lance West, 64, died November 21, 2022 in Amarillo.

Kevin was born in Pampa Texas, on March 5th, 1958, to Audy Larry West and Sheila LaNell (Shelton) West. Son of a sharecropper of Irish descent and Irish mother who also contributed 1/64th Native American ancestry to his genome.

The family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where his mother became friends with the likes of singer Wayne Newton.

Returning to Amarillo Kevin attended Trinity Lutheran School, Fannin Junior High, and graduated from Amarillo High School in 1976 where he was involved in drama and speech.

During his younger years, Kevin worked at the Twin Cinema, Albertsons, Pancho's Mexican Buffet and Levi Strauss. Soon he decided working for a living was not a good ‘fit.’

At the time, his hobbies included:  oil painting, collecting vinyl records and of course movies. His also enjoyed the literary writings of William S. Burrows and Carlos Castañeda.

Kevin attended the University of Texas where he was a radio-television-film major. He retired after three decades in the industry.  Some of his favorite things in the industry were the films of John Waters, and participating in acting classes with the teaching team of Marco and Diane Perella and CK McFarland. Over his thirty plus year creative career, Kevin collaborated on numerous films, television and stage productions.

His television production career began in the 1980's with the sometimes irreverent and insanely popular Austin public access TV show:  “Cheap Peeks,” which he co-hosted with fellow luminaries:  Kirkomatic, Marcus van Bavel and David Ray Boone.

His filmography includes the cult-classic “Barn of the Blood Llama,” c.1996, as co-writer, director, producer and actor.  The as yet unreleased Austin specticle “Rowdy Roundup:  Night of the Killer Piñatas.” c.1999; “Midnight Taco,” c.2005, as production designer; “The Texas Comedy Massacre,” c.1987, as actor.

Kevin was married to co-conspirator/collaborator/ miscreant Earl Ray Saathoff, on the14th of October, 2014 in Austin, Texas. (It’s legal, now!) The couple moved to Amarillo in 2017 to assist with the care of his parents and be closer to his beloved New Mexico.

Kevin maintained contact with an extensive social network on Facebook throughout his recent isolation in Amarillo. His fb is to be memorialized for your perusal through posterity.

Special thanks to his caregivers:  Dr. Major Blair, N.P. Katy Pemberton, Medical Lodge of Amarillo, Northwest Texas Healthcare System and all the wonderful and caring folks at the BSA Hospice of the Southwest.

Kevin was preceded in death by his parents father Audy West, mother Sheila (Shelton) West, grandfather Louis Shelton and grandmother Nina (Pucket) Shelton.

He is survived by his husband Earl, step brother and step sister Daren and Lisa Hudson of Lubbock and step sister Cindy Marquardt of Amarillo.

Finally, Mr. West would like to thank-you, for being his friend. Too numerous to name them all, not the least of which are:  Sandy and David Boone, Cheryl Batman, Anna Mari Lilja, Scott, Kristin and Maddy Alford, Tim and Sara Breuer, Tracy Everett-Sumner, Debbie and Rusty Roush, Dr. David Robinson, Cindy Barron Miller, Aralyn Hughes, Amparo Garcia-Crow, Kirk Hunter, Marcus van Bavel, Joy Cunningham, Jim Fritzler, Sidney Brammer, Daya Doris Hargrave, Steve Wilson, Mark Statser, Charles Lieurance, the late Elaine R. O'Donnell, and last but not least:  Sterling Price-McKinney, Lorne Loganbill and the late Robbie Jacks.

In lieu of flowers the family suggest contributions be made to: www.caringbridge.org