Louis Arthur Westphal
April 30, 1921 ~ June 12, 2006
Resided in:
Candler, NC
Louis A. Westphal, 85, of Candler, died Monday, June 12, 2006, at the John F. Keever Solace Center of Mountain Area Hospice.
Mr. Westphal was born April 30, 1921, in Kendall, WI, to the late Otto and Susie Westphal. He received his Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin (Platteville) and his Master?s degree from New York University.
He served in the Army Air Corps as a bombardier during WW II and flew 35 combat missions over Germany. Following the war he flew three years of hurricane reconnaissance and followed that with many years of productive service before retiring from the United States Air Force as a Lt. Colonel. He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
He was preceded in death by son, Bruce Westphal, daughter-in-law, Donna Westphal, sister Gertrude Westphal, and brothers Henry and Lloyd Westphal.
He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Florence (Flo) Westphal; sons Roger, Mark, Jim (Joyce), and Jay (Lydia) Westphal; daughters Betty (Greg) Neal and Ellie (Doug) McCormac; grandchildren, Stephen and Leslie Westphal, Aaron, Nathan, and Danny Westphal, Matt (Kristin) Westphal, Jenny (Chris) Bassler, Carrie Westphal, Harrison and Jay Neal, and Rob and Claire McCormac; two great-granddaughters, Olivia and Elyse Bassler; sisters and brothers, Ruth (Alvin) Cook, Edward Westphal, Alvera Eckelberg, Doris Matias, and Carl (Carol) Westphal; and many nieces and nephews and their families.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, August 25, 2006, at Emmanual Lutheran Church with the Rev. Mark Nieting officiating. Interment will be in the church memorial garden with military honors provided by the Buncombe County Veterans Council Memorial Team.
His family will receive friends at the church immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to the Emmanuel Lutheran Church Building Fund, 51 Wilburn Place, Asheville, NC 28806, or to the Asheville Branch of the American Red Cross Blood Bank, 100 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC 28804.
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Our prayers & thoughts are with you. Lou was very special to Mike, as all of you are to both of us.
Ellie, You and your family are in the thoughts and prayers of mine. Tonya
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this time, and i will continue to think of you and pray for each of you during your time of loss.
Dear Flo, Ida and I hold you in our prayers. Lou served his country well. We should all be proud of his war service and his accomplishments while at Air Weather Service.
He helped to change it from a pencil and paper system to a modern computer operation. It was a privilege to see him in action. God Bless you and the family. Cas & Ida
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Mr. Westphal was very special to me. He hired me for my first job over 20 years ago. I teased him that he hired me because we shared the same birthday 40 years apart. He will be missed. My condolences to his family.
I have so many happy memories of time spent with you, Flo, and Lou, and all your family. God bless you all. Love, Doris
Dearest Westphal Family:
I was deeply saddened to read of Lou’s
passing. I will always remember him as
a strong, caring and gentle man.To Jay
Mark and Ellie I hope God will give you peace in the knowledge that your dad is with him.(Proof: no bad hurricaines this year). Betty I still recall the words you used to describe our parents when you visited some years ago. I hope that your future will be as full and memorable as your fathers life. I hope to see you guys somtime.
Love Steve
I am sorry to hear of your loss. I’m sure he is smiling down on his large and loving family.
Sincerely,
David Plunkett
Dear Ellie and family,
I was very sorry to hear of the loss of your father. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
I was so sorry to read about Mr. Westphal’s death. I was a friend of his daugther, Ellie, in high school and college and I had not seen him in many years. My heart felt condolences to Ellie and rest of his family.
Wally Eastland
Please accept our sympathy in the death of Lou Westphal. Our prayer is asking for God’s comfort to you and the family.
My prayers are with you. Mr. Westphal was an honest man who cared deeply about his employees.
My sympathy to the family. Louis was a teacher after his return from WWII at the Kendall High School where I graduated in 1946. He was an inspiration to me.
Although I never knew Louis Westphal, I have been friends with his daughter Betty for well over a decade. Based upon my friendship with Betty, I can only believe that her father posessed the same admiral traits of great intelligence, ambition, love of life, and the ability to sustain long-lasting friendships. My thoughts are with Betty here in Colorado.
I had the pleasure of meeting Betty’s father many years ago during a visit to Vail. It’s remarkable that this lovely soft spoken man lived such an admirable and exciting professional life, and raised such an outstanding family. Our prayers are with Mrs. Westphal and Betty and the entire family, we pray that God sustains you through this loss and brings Mr. Westphal His everlasting peace.
I am very sorry for your family’s loss. What a great man. I never knew him as anything but friendly. There are not many people in this world who can say that they have been married for 62 years. Just another great testiment to the man.
Dave and Jan
Betty,
My thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Always look back on the good memories.
Your Friend,
Love,
Nat
Betty has been my dear friend for many years and her parents always held a special place in my heart. My thoughts, prayers and love are with the Westphal family.
Lt. Colonel Westphal’s daughter, Betty, is a dear friend of mine. Betty always spoke highly of her father’s service to our country, of his great integrity and, perhaps most importantly, his enduring love for his wife and children. May you rest in peace, sir! My condolences to you and your family, Betty.
Betty, I’m thinking and praying for you, your mom and your family for peace and healing. What a wonderful legacy Louis leaves in you, your brothers and sisters, and your children. Much love, Kate
Betty is a good friend of ours (and co-worker of mine). My husband Jey and I would like to send our heart-felt condolences to the family.