Taryn Kim Westover

Born in Houston, Texas on November 3, 1955, Kim was the daughter of Carlene Wilson Westover and the late William E. “Duke” Westover.

Kim lived a remarkable life marked by courage, faith, adventure, and unwavering determination. A 1974 graduate of Klein High School in Spring, Texas, she went on to accomplish many milestones throughout her life, never allowing the challenges of being born with Spina Bifida to define or limit her. In 1980, she was named First Runner-Up in Georgia’s “Miss Wheelchair America” Pageant and later became the first female in a wheelchair to live in the dormitories at Liberty University, despite the campus not yet being handicap accessible at the time. During her senior year, she also served as a member of Liberty University’s Student Government Association. In 1991, Kim graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Kim possessed a deep love for travel and adventure. Throughout her life, she visited 47 states and seven countries, including Canada, Greece, England, Israel, Italy, Egypt, and Jordan. Alongside her parents, she helped start, grow, and operate DuCar, a thriving international tour company specializing in tours of the Holy Land, serving faithfully from its inception in 1992 through 2023. Kim personally assisted with more than 23 tours to Israel and fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams when she led a Holy Land tour herself during a time when her mother was ill and her father needed to remain by her side. She also became the first tour operator in a wheelchair to take and direct a group tour through Israel.

A gifted and creative woman, Kim was an accomplished self-taught artist whose oils, watercolors, and mixed-media works became highly sought after. She was also a certified makeup artist and Mary Kay consultant.

Kim faithfully served her church and community in countless ways. Her volunteer work included serving at the Welcome Desk at Thomas Road Baptist Church, working as a makeup artist for the church’s Christmas Spectacular and other special events, assisting with Vacation Bible School, serving as an extra in locally filmed movies, and providing disaster relief triage assistance for hurricane victims.

Above all, Kim loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She dearly loved her family, church family, and friends, and treasured every adventure and moment spent with them. Kim never viewed her disability as a burden, but rather as part of the unique life God had given her. She often expressed gratitude for being born with Spina Bifida because it allowed her to develop an extraordinary bond with her parents and grandparents and experience a childhood filled with travel, homeschooling, and firsthand encounters with history and culture across America. She believed her disability did not make her “special,” but simply made her who she was.

Kim embraced life fully and joyfully. Her strength, bravery, ambition, humility, loyalty, kindness, and loving spirit touched everyone who knew her. She never met a stranger and was always known for her bright smile and welcoming heart. To Kim, life was meant to be lived, savored, and cherished, and she did exactly that every day.

In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her beloved grandparents. In addition to her mother, those left to cherish her memory include her loving family, dear friends, church family, and the countless lives she impacted through her faith, service, and adventurous spirit.

A service celebrating Kim’s life and faith will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at Thomas Road Baptist Church with Pastors Jonathan Falwell and Charles Billingsley officiating.