Obituary of David Westfall

WESTFALL: David Westfall passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at the Assiniboine Centre with his children by his side. David was born on November 1, 1942 in Wendell, Idaho. He was the eldest child of Mildred Terry Westfall and Carroll Clyde Westfall. David is survived by his three sisters, Amy, Linda and Mary Ann; his three children, Rachel, Milena and Zachary, and eight grandchildren. David completed a Bachelor of Arts at Utah State University (1964) and a Master of Arts at the University of Washington (1966). He emigrated to Canada and studied Germanics and German literature at the University of British Columbia. His children and grandchildren fondly remember the German lullabies and rhymes which he recited to their delight. David's interest in languages was life long, with some of his later work culminating in Castel's English-Cree Dictionary and Memoirs of the Elders. He worked as a high school librarian in Quesnel, BC for many years, then as a travelling professor for the Brandon University Northern Teacher Education Program (BUNTEP). After he retired, David could often be found working in his garden, renovating the big, old house he'd bought on Louise Avenue in Brandon, attending the WSO concerts or chatting with the local cats and birds. He spent his final months at Dinsdale Home in Brandon. A Come and Go reception will be held at the George Brockie Fellowship Centre, 332 8th Street, Brandon, MB on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations in memory of David may be to the Brandon Humane Society, 2200-17th Street East, Brandon, MB, R7A 7M6.