Dottie West Eulogized as Singer Who Touched Many

Country music star Dottie West was eulogized Saturday as an entertainer who touched the world with her songs and now performs for a higher calling.

“She’s rejoicing now . . . she’s singing with the angels’ band,” the Rev. Ray Hughes, pastor of Abundant Life Church, told about 600 people at her funeral.

Hughes repeatedly referred to the joy she brought others, especially through her song “Country Sunshine.”

“We were able to share in that sunshine,” he said.

West, 58, died Wednesday of liver and heart failure as a result of a one-car crash Aug. 30. She underwent three operations, but doctors were unable to repair her ruptured liver.

The car in which she was riding hit an embankment while she was on her way to perform on the Grand Ole Opry country music show, in which she had appeared for 27 years.

In a career of almost 30 years, West was known for “Country Sunshine” and for duets with Kenny Rogers, including “Every Time Two Fools Collide.”

“God raised her up to touch the heart of the world through music,” Hughes said. “Her life met us at our heart.”

Among the country music stars attending the 40-minute funeral were Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Emmylou Harris and several Grand Ole Opry entertainers.

Rogers did not attend the funeral Saturday. He had visited West earlier in the week in the hospital.

Hughes also mentioned the personal misfortune that befell West in the last few years of her life. She declared bankruptcy in 1990 because of debts that exceeded $1 million. Bankruptcy officials auctioned off some of her belongings in June.

“Her love is forever . . . her strength to endure hard times will go on forever,” Hughes said.

West’s family had requested that the funeral service be kept brief and traditional.

The service was open to the public, and a few casually dressed fans were scattered throughout suburban Christ Church. Some wore Western fringe and jeans.

Services were in the same church where memorial services were held in March for eight members of the entourage of country music singer Reba McEntire. The eight--seven band members and her tour manager--died when a private plane crashed near San Diego after a McEntire concert.

West’s survivors include three sons and a daughter, Shelly, who also is a country singer, known for her hit song “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” a duet with David Frizzell.

Private burial was in McMinnville, Tenn., West’s hometown, about 70 miles southeast of Nashville.