Friends and co-workers remember Harold A. West as a devoted coroner, an avid Arkansas Razorback fan and a frequent visitor at the Miller County Courthouse. West died Tuesday after a prolonged illness. "He was loved by everyone," said Eddie Hawkins, current Miller County coroner and close friend of West. Hawkins worked as deputy coroner under West from 1977 until West's retirement in 1984. "He knew everyone in Miller County, it seemed like," Hawkins said. "And he was loved by everyone. He was just a super person." West is survived by his wife, Imogene, who is currently hospitalized. The two had no children. "He was sort of a fixture here in the courthouse," said Toby Giles, chief deputy of the Miller County Sheriff's office. Giles said even after West retired in the late 1980s, West would still come by the sheriff's office to keep in touch with officers he knew. "He just loved to visit everybody." West was an active member of Central Christian Church where he served as treasurer for two years and was a deacon emeritus at the time of his death. "I knew him as a very entertaining, jovial person," said Carma Lee Frost, a friend of West and his wife. They were members together of the Fellowship Sunday School Class at Central Christian Church. "He and Imogene used to go to Razorback games together every weekend," Frost said. "They were very close, and they always enjoyed life as much as they could together. Our Sunday school class is very close, and we are feeling this tremendous loss together." West was elected and served as Miller County coroner for 10 years. During those years, he served as president of the Coroner's Association of Arkansas Counties. "He took me under his wings and taught me how to be a coroner," Hawkins said. When West became ill, he and his wife moved into a trailer beside Hawkins' home. "He was a special friend. I'm going to miss him," Hawkins said. West also served as treasurer for the Mandeville Water Department and worked at East Funeral Home for 37 years. He was a member of the Texarkana Kiwanis Club for 25 years. © VHR