Nyla Jo West

Nyla Jo West, 84, of Springfield, Missouri, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Born Nyla Jo Teeter on April 14, 1942, at Burge Hospital in Springfield, Nyla was the daughter of Bennie Raymond Teeter and Mildred Icle Wommack. She spent part of her childhood in Bowling Green, Kentucky, after her family moved there in 1951. In 1958, they made their way back home to Springfield, a return trip Nyla would remember as being made in the back of a pickup truck. She went on to graduate from Hillcrest High School in 1961.

Nyla was the mother of Tracy Loveland Woodall and Scott Loveland, but to the generations that followed, she was simply and affectionately known as “Grammy.” It was a name that came to encompass so much of who she was.

Above all else, Nyla loved her family. Her children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter were the center of her world, and she made sure they knew it, not only through her words but through her presence. She traveled across North America to support Scott in his softball and football endeavors and rarely, if ever, missed an opportunity to show up for her grandchildren. From sporting events and milestones to holidays and ordinary family gatherings, Grammy was there. She celebrated the lives of the people she loved wholeheartedly and took genuine pride in each of them.

Nyla was kind, fair, generous, and deeply interested in others. She had a gift for conversation and an ability to make people feel comfortable in her presence. She loved visiting with family and friends and could strike up a conversation nearly anywhere; to Nyla, there were very few strangers. She especially treasured the close friendships she maintained throughout her life and the lunches and time spent catching up with dear friends.

She also possessed a wonderful curiosity about the world and enjoyed filling her life with travel and experiences. Nyla loved wandering through craft fairs, visiting art museums, attending local theater productions, and traveling to see Broadway shows. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas were particular favorites. She delighted in trips to the horse races in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was always happy to try a new restaurant or discover a new place. For Nyla, so much of the joy was in experiencing these things alongside the people she loved.

Her generosity extended well beyond her own family. Throughout her life, Nyla supported organizations and causes that mattered to her, including KSMU, Ozarks Public Television, NPR, and the ASPCA. Each Christmas, she also made a point of purchasing toys for holiday giving programs so that children in her community could experience the joy of receiving something special.

Her love for animals was well known, too, particularly when it came to her beloved “granddogs,” Elsie and Bruno DelCorral, Cash Oppenborn, and Charlie Woodall, who held their own special places in Grammy’s heart.

Nyla was preceded in death by her parents, Bennie Raymond Teeter and Mildred Icle Wommack, and her husband, Tim West, whom she lost in 1991.

She is survived by her daughter, Tracy Woodall and husband Stan; her son, Scott Loveland and wife Kerri; her grandchildren, Erika DelCorral and husband Anthony, Emily Woodall and fiancé Scott Oppenborn, Bailey Hurd, and Greyson Loveland; her great-granddaughter, Daisy DelCorral; and her sister, Ramona Teeter. She also leaves behind the Cother and West families, many extended family members, and a treasured circle of close friends whose companionship brought her great happiness.

Nyla was a beloved mother, Grammy, great-Grammy, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. Her absence will be felt in countless ways, but perhaps most deeply in the moments when her family has always expected her to be there, the holidays, celebrations, milestones, and gatherings still to come. Those occasions will not be the same without Grammy, but the love she poured into her family throughout her lifetime will remain a part of each of them.

Her family will miss her conversation, her presence, her fairness and kindness, her willingness to go somewhere new, and the simple comfort of knowing Grammy was there. She leaves behind a family that knew, without question, how deeply they were loved.

A visitation and celebration of Nyla’s life will be held Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 11 am to 1 pm at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole Street in Springfield, Missouri. A private family burial will follow at her final resting place amongst family in Fair Grove.

Nyla lived a life filled with family, friendship, generosity, curiosity, and love. Those fortunate enough to have known her will carry those things forward, and her family will forever be grateful for the privilege of calling her Grammy.