Jacob Allen West

Jacob Allen West returned to our loving Heavenly Father on October 16^th after succumbing to injuries sustained during a tragic accident on Topaz Mountain.

Jacob was a loving husband and the oldest of 10 children and is survived by his wife Jenny Briggs, his parents Brett and Holly, his siblings (Allison Monney and her husband Trevor, Kevin, Rachel, Melissa, Kyle, Katelyn, Rebecca, Sarah and Tyler), his nephew James, grandparents (John and Trudy VanCott, John West, Cheryl Freeman) and many cousins, aunts and uncles.

Jacob was born on November 14, 1996 in Tucson, Arizona to Brett and Holly West. The following year, his family returned to Utah where he lived in St. George and Orem prior to moving to Cedar Hills.

Jacob was an Eagle Scout and the 2015 senior class president at Lone Peak High School, where he was recognized for his friendship, compassion, and service to many of his fellow students by being given the school’s Excalibur Award.

Jacob was a man of faith. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served God as a full-time missionary in the Chile Osorno Mission, as an elders quorum president, temple ordinance worker, missionary preparation instructor, referral center specialist at the Provo Missionary Training Center and in many other callings in the Church.

He met the love of his life, Jennifer Dawn Briggs, at Brigham Young University (BYU). They were married in Boise, Idaho in March 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Having already moved their wedding date to an early month due to their worry that a growing pandemic might cause the temple to be closed, they still had to wait to be sealed in the Meridian, Idaho Temple in August 2020 since the temple was closed just a few days before their wedding day. Jenny was the best thing to happen to Jacob.

Jacob studied computer science at BYU, putting himself through school. He was taking his final three classes required for graduation at the time he passed away, one of which he was taking with his sweet wife Jenny. He was an exceptional student and very hard worker. While in college, he obtained several software engineer and web developer internships, including those with large corporations. He began his own software consulting company and also co-founded a data security software company.  

Jacob loved sports. He played soccer, football and basketball on youth, recreation, and school teams. He excelled in ultimate frisbee where his high school team won Utah state championships and was nationally ranked. He was named to the Utah all-state team, was a team captain in high school and was later a member of BYU’s ultimate frisbee team where he was able to compete against other university teams across the country. He also volunteered for the Utah Ultimate Disc Association.

Jacob had a love for the dessert and the unique beauty it offered. In the last few years of his life, he gathered a large collection of cacti and succulents. He mastered the art growing cacti from seeds which is quite a feat. Much of his time was spent planning trips to southern Utah or Arizona as often as possible, as those were some of his “happy places”. His love for the desert, or anything for that matter, was contagious.

Jacob was a very considerate person. He was a friend to all. He loved to laugh and spread joy through his constant smile. He had a genuine love for everyone he met and a special love for all little children. He was a man with big dreams and was constantly making those dreams a reality. Those who knew him found a true friend. He was a wonderful son, a caring older brother who was a great role model and a devoted and loving husband. He was a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 11:00 am at the Cedar Hills West Stake Center Chapel, 4580 West Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills, Utah. Family and friends may call on Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the church prior to services.