Matthew "Matt" Joel West

Services for Matthew “Matt” Joel West, 64, of Cleburne, will be conducted at 3:00 P.M., Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Cleburne with Anthony Tillman officiating. Visitation will be 6:00-7:00 P.M., Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at the funeral home.

Matt passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at his residence in Cleburne, Texas. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, moving to Cleburne in 1984 where he lived the remainder of his life. After his first marriage, he met his wife Rachel Lomeli on December 24, 2000, when she visited a local friend. They were quickly enamored by each other and were married on May 19, 2001. 

Matt was a Jehovah’s Witness throughout his life, dedicating his life to Jehovah God in baptism on January 4, 1976. He owned and worked in a family business that his parents began in the mid-70’s manufacturing sheet metal products. He worked 28 years alongside his father, a Tool-and-Die Specialist, and then continued in the business a further 20 years throughout his life. Matt loved vacations with Rachel – especially when they included fishing, and especially sea-fishing. He loved to be out and about with his many good friends throughout the years – as well as figuring out who he could kid around with finding humorous ways to tease and play jokes on them. He had many dogs throughout his life and loved hanging out with them. When Matt was a young man, he enjoyed designing and building both a go-cart and a dune buggy for him and his friends to enjoy. He enjoyed playing sports, especially football and baseball, known in his youth for both throwing and kicking a football higher and further each time he set his sights – as those who were playing with him were known to stop and time how long it took the ball to finally come down from so high in the air. He enjoyed playing pool with his friends and family setting his sight also on the challenge of the game – the challenge being how well he learned the table more than how often he won or lost. He loved numbers and measuring – skills he used at work, in projects with friends, and in his creative outlet of woodworking. He was very talented at both making and building many beautiful furniture pieces and cutting boards. 

He was loved and respected for many qualities but especially for what his wife described as “a man of his word.” And last but not least, he was known for much dislike of having his picture taken – leaving his family and friends the challenge of searching for as many good pictures as possible to remember him – having several of him with a grimace or on the run out of camera shot!

Matt is survived by his wife, Rachel West (Lomeli); sisters, Susan T. West, and Joy B. Collazzi (Ed); brother, Dennis R. Williams; nephew, Steven A. West (Elda, daughters Capri and Ophelia);  nephews, Dennis R. Williams, II (Victoria), Shane D. Williams (Joy), and Brandon T. West;  nieces, Sonya D. Williams, Summer D. Willliams, Danielle E. West, and Lisa R. West;  also 8 great-nephews and 8 great-nieces;  along with many cousins and 2nd cousins throughout Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and many close friends he considered like family. 

He is preceded in death by his father, Travis E. West, his mother, Una M. (Liles) West;  brother, Mark E. West; grandmother, Alma (West) Osborne, grandmother, Sarah (Cagle) Parker; uncle, Garland H. Bruce; aunt, Jessie Pearl (West) Bruce, aunt, Jeanie (Parker) Stephens, and uncle, Bill Stephens, along with many other aunts and uncles, and great-aunts and uncles.

The West and Lomeli Family wishes to express their deep appreciation and gratitude for your warm loving expressions and kindness. Especially to those that visited and assisted throughout the last year, provided meals, sent texts, prayers, and many other things too numerous to mention. Finally, we express great gratitude to the Hospice Staff and caretakers that assisted in Matt’s care.