Kevin John Vest

TYLER — It is with profound sadness that the family of Kevin Vest announce his passing on August 7, 2023 after a heroic battle with melanoma. He went peacefully in his home with his wife Alicia and daughter Macey by his side and surrounded by loved ones.

Kevin was born May 15, 1976 to Jack and Kay Vest of Galesburg, Il. His love of and dedication to baseball started early. His father recalled that Kevin decided in the 8th grade that he was going to be a college baseball coach. He graduated from Galesburg High School in 1994 then furthered his education and pursued a baseball career at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Il where he met his future wife Alicia Brown who shared a passion for athletics. Kevin started his career in coaching as soon as his playing days ended, serving as an assistant at Illinois College and Knox College before being named the head coach at MacMurray College (Jacksonville, Il) in 2002 at the age of 26. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Springfield College while pursuing his masters in Organizational Management from Ashford University (Clinton IA). In 2010 he was selected as the head baseball coach and sports coordinator at Rock Valley College (Rockford, Il) while also serving as an associate scout for the Philadelphia Phillies and as the bench coach for the Rockford Riverhawks of the Frontier League. In 2016 he made the difficult decision to retire from coaching to embark on a new journey as Athletic Director of Waubonsee College (Sugar Grove Il). In 2019 he was offered his dream job as Athletic Director at the highly esteemed Tyler Junior College in Tyler TX, only the 5th honored to hold this title. In 4 shorts years the school won eight national titles under his leadership and in 2021 he received the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletic Director of the Year Award. He not only valued TJC (Feather’s Up!), but also the importance of being involved in the community and making a difference in athletics on the national level by serving on several committees and organizations.

Though he loved athletics and helping athletes succeed, it paled in comparison to his love for his family. He married his college sweetheart Alicia (whom he lovingly told everyone was the best athlete in the house) in 2003 and they celebrated their 20th anniversary in June of this year. His “reason” Macey arrived in July of 2007. They share a passion for reading and have quite the library. This small family shared a tight bond with many traditions: Friday morning donuts before school and Sunday never ended without ice cream. They supported his dreams and were always excited when a new opportunity and zip code presented itself.

Kevin loved seeing others succeed and his handwritten notes of thanks and congratulations to friends throughout the country will be missed. He was quick to smile and laugh and was always up for a beer and a talk with friends, new or old, where there was always a funny story to share told with great excitement and animation.

Kevin will be deeply missed by his wife Alicia, daughter Macey, father and mother Jack and Kay, brother Chris (Amanda) and their children Justus, Zander and Gianna, and Aunt Cindy. He will also be dearly missed by his Mother and father-in-law Jim and Shelley Brown; sister-in-law Carissa Stratman (Pat) and their children River, Goldie and Archer.

A celebration of life will be held later this fall in Tyler, Texas and again in his hometown of Galesburg, Il. More information to follow.

Per Kevin’s wishes memorial donations will be placed in an education savings account to benefit Macey.