Oliver Warren Westman

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• Minneord / Nekrolog: Oliver Warren Westman - August 18, 1923 - September 24, 2015 Oliver Warren Westman was born to Hjalmar and Julia (Hendrickson) Westman on August 18, 1923, in Rock Creek, Minnesota, in the home that his grandfather built. He passed away on Thursday, September 24, at the Fairview-Wyoming Hospital at the age of 92. He attended District 23 (McKay School) a one room school built in the late 1800s for his elementary grades and later went on to graduate from Rush City High School in 1941. Oliver became part of his dad’s farming operation as he was growing up, and began farming full time with his father after graduation. One of his favorite memories was of the day his dad told him to put the horses in the barn and go shopping for a tractor. The deal was made and his dad said, “Now you drive it home.” So he set off on a bouncy ride home driving a 1931 John Deere GP tractor with steel wheels. He always said “I felt like I was King of the Hill.” Another big step on the farm was the purchasing of two registered Holstein heifers from which they built Rock Elm Registered Holsteins which became a respected herd across the state. In fact, some of their best cows were sold to dairymen throughout the Midwest as well as California and even China. Oliver met his future wife Elaine Lundberg when they were introduced by his mother Julia; Oliver was six years old and Elaine was six weeks old. On May 5, 1951, they tied the knot at East Rock Creek Baptist Church located 1/2 mile from their home. The couple was blessed by the birth of six children, one who died at birth. With the constant farm work, the family didn’t take frequent vacations, but they were able to visit Yellowstone National Park; the Black Hills and the Badlands; Manitoba, Canada; Branson, Missouri; and to take many trips to Babbitt, Minnesota. One trip after the older kids had already moved away became the source for a family story. Oliver, Elaine, and Barry were dining at Denny’s when Barry got the child’s discount, Oliver got the senior discount, and Elaine had to pay full price. When he was in his early 80s, his desire to visit relatives was so great that he overcame his fear of flying to take a trip with Elaine to Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. He had often confided that he didn’t like very much to be seated at 3,000 feet up in the air between the clouds. Throughout his life Oliver was active in several organizations and clubs such as Pine County DHIA, East Central Holstein Club, and the state and national holstein associations. Over the years he was also a member of various boards and committees at East Rock Creek Baptist and later Rush City Baptist Church. Oliver continued farming until 1996 when he sold the farm to Jim and Donna; however, he remained a vital part of the operation by driving the tractor and running errands until he was 89 and by advising until this past Sunday when Jim took him on a ride to look at the crops. In 1997 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and wondered if he and Elaine should go ahead with their plans to build their new home on acreage reserved from the farm property. His doctor’s advice was to have the surgery and go ahead with their plans. Both Elaine and Oliver wanted family close and they got it. This new home became the new gathering place, a sort of Grand Central Station. During this time, Elaine and the kids encouraged him to put on paper the stories he loved to tell. Oliver was a natural storyteller and he was always highlighting some experience he had as a boy, describing a relative who was no longer living, or telling what Rock Creek or Rush City was like when he was young. He wanted that history to be known by his family. Several notebooks later, he and Elaine assembled those stories into a book called “From Arrow-heads to Golf Balls and Everything in Between.” Oliver and Elaine enjoyed 18 years in this home until September, 2014, when Elaine broke her hip and Oliver’s health began to fail requiring a move to Ecumen in North Branch. They were no longer able to maintain a home and sold the house to granddaughter Tori and her husband Justin. That move off the farm where he had lived his entire life as well as the selling of the dairy herd made the last year of his life one of tremendous change. In the midst of all those changes, his attitude remained the same. Everyone who met Oliver was struck by his kind and gentle spirit which was born of his love for Christ. His faith never wavered and his children and grand-children cherish his godly example and the daily prayers he offered for them. Elaine and the family wish to thank their friends, extended family and Journey North Church family for their love, support and prayer. Special thanks go to the staff at Ecumen who showed Oliver much love and kindness during his year there. Oliver is survived by his wife Elaine of Rush City; children Barb Westman of Rush City, Jim (Donna) Westman of Rush City, Sandy Westman of Fridley, Barry (Tina) Westman of Janesville, WI.; son-in-law Roberto Cicero of Rush City; grandchildren Victoria (Justin) Klick, Julia, Caitlin, Chad, Emily and Olivia Westman, Jillian Cicero; great grandchildren Oliver, Elizabeth and Carson; aunt Effie Hendrickson of Pine City; brother-in-law Lonnie Lundberg and wife Charlotte of Isanti; nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Oliver is preceded in death by his parents Hjalmar and Julia (Hendrickson) Westman; infant son; daughter Sharon; and sister-in-law Ethyl (Willard) Hendrickson. Pastor Tim Adams will officiate a celebration of Oliver’s life; Monday (9/28/15) at 11:00 AM at Journey North Church in Pine City. Visitation and reviewal will take place Sunday (9/27/15) from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the Olson Funeral Chapel in Rush City and one hour prior to the service at the church. The interment will be in the First Lutheran Cemetery in Rush City. Memorials may be directed to Make A Wish Foundation or Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Funeral arrangements for Oliver Westman of Rush City are entrusted to the: Funeral and Cremation Service of Rush City ~ Olson Chapel.
• Draft Registration WW2: 30 Jun 1942, Rock Creek, Pine, Minnesota, USA; 1. Name: Oliver Warren Westman 2. Address: Rock Creek, Pine, Minn. 3. Mailing Address: Rush City, R2, Minn. 4. Telephone: Rush City, 7F24 5. Age: 18 Date of Birth: Aug. 18 1923 6. Place of Birth: Rock Creek, Minn. 7. Name of Person Who Will Always Know Your Address: Hjalmer Westman, Rush City, R2, Minn. 8. Employer's Name and Address: Home 9. Place of Employment or Business Rock Creek, Pine County, Minn. Registrar's Report - Description of Registrant Race: White Height: 5 feet, 8 Inches Weight: 147 Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Blonde Complexion: Light Other obvious physical characteristics that will aid in identification: None Mrs. O. A. Hark, Registrar for Local board 1, Pine County, Minn. Date of Registration: Pine County, Local Board, Pine City, Minn.

Familie/Ektefelle/partner: Elaine Astrid Lundberg. Elaine (datter av Carl Oscar Lundberg og Ruth Marion Swanson) ble født 9 Feb 1929 , Minnesota, USA. [Gruppeskjema] [Familiediagram]

Nålevende giftet seg med Nålevende [Gruppeskjema] [Familiediagram]

Nålevende giftet seg med Nålevende [Gruppeskjema] [Familiediagram]

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• Minneord / Nekrolog: Sharon Elaine Westman - February 27, 1963 - June 17, 2012 Sharon Elaine was born on February 27, 1963, to Oliver and Elaine Westman of rural Rush City. She was one of five children: Barb, Jim, Sandy, Sharon and Barry; an infant brother was stillborn. Sharon attended Rush City Schools and graduated from there in 1981. She went on to attend Bethel University and graduated with a BA in Social Services; she needed only 6 more credits for her Master of Arts in Human Development from St. Mary's University in Minneapolis. Sharon was very active in music and drama both in high school and college. She sang with the Bethel Women's Choir in a tour of the Scandinavian countries during her senior year of college—giving her the opportunity to meet relatives in Sweden. Sharon believed that she should do what she loved, and she loved helping others. Because of the hospice care she saw her grandma Julia receive while battling cancer in 1987, Sharon was inspired to make hospice care part of her life's work. She began by volunteering her time with hospice and eventually coordinated hospice services through Chisago Lakes Hospital for several years. Her dream was to develop a career out of her various passions. These work experiences included conducting grief and loss classes as well as individual counseling sessions for those who have lost loved ones; becoming a custody evaluator and guardian ad litem; providing a variety of mediation services through the nonprofit organization Rural Mediation Services in Cambridge; acting as a facilitator for “Parents Forever,” (a research-based curriculum developed by the University of Minnesota Extension Services) to help parents make child-supportive decisions during separation or divorce; providing in-home piano lessons for students in Rush City, Cambridge-Isanti, Harris, Mora, and the Twin Cities area. Sharon created her Open Hearts Company as a way to combine her many skills and services. Sharon met her husband Roberto in Rome, Italy, and Jillian was born in September, 2001. Sharon, Roberto and Jillian lived in Rome several different times. During this time, Sharon's passion for photography began to take shape; she had an eye for beauty and this is reflected in her photographs which capture the beauty she saw in the world around her. Sharon founded Spirit Leaper Studios and sold many of her works through this website. Her photograph “Rooted in Minnesota” earned third place honors in the 2009 East Central Arts IMAGE Show (photography division), and “Light Still Lives Here—In the House of my Mother’s Birth” earned the first place award in the 2010 East Central Arts IMAGE Show (photography division). Wondering about her name? She didn’t see herself as a Sharon Elaine but more as a Juliahna Grace, eventually coming to a point where she incorporated all of the names Sharon Juliahna Grace Westman. In August of 2008, Sharon was diagnosed with AML, an acute form of leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant December 26, 2008. She has had no recurrence of the leukemia, but over the last two years the bone marrow stopped producing healthy cells and she lived with incredibly low blood counts and high risk from infection, illness or injury. While the doctors were determining how best to treat her, she depended on transfusions of blood and platelets at the bone marrow transplant clinic at the U of M to supplement what her body couldn’t produce. Early this year doctors diagnosed her with “bone marrow failure” and once again a stem cell transplant was the only option for a return to health. Another donor was found, and she had her second transplant on April 5. The donated cells quickly engrafted and began to produce near normal levels of all blood lines. However, she then developed Graft vs. Host Disease in which the new cells recognize the old tissue as the enemy and begin to attack and destroy it. The GVHD advanced to Stage 4 and proved to be insurmountable. She had fought valiantly for nearly four years trying to return to the life and dreams she envisioned. Her answer just three weeks ago to a question from the doctors about how to proceed in the face of advanced GVHD was “Fight, fight, fight!” Less than a week before her death doctors asked her again at what point she would want to stop fighting, and Sharon’s answer was “I can’t imagine...Jillian...” While her spirit was strong, her body was weakened by the treatments that were required, and she eventually faced an illness she could not conquer. Sharon was a very caring and compassionate individual to family, friends, animals, and even insects, and any other living being that needed help. She was a peaceful and thoughtful person who tried each day to create the beauty she envisioned. She will be so deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Our heartfelt thanks go to the scores of people who have prayed for her over this four-year period and have supported us in prayer and concern. A special thank you goes to family and friends who spent so much time with Sharon at the hospital including the 24-7 support of the last month. Special thanks also to Dr. Erica Warlick, the staff at the BMT Clinic and to the wonderful nurses on Unit 4B at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Sharon is survived by her husband Roberto Cicero, daughter Jillian Grace Cicero, her parents Oliver & Elaine Westman of Rush City, siblings: Barb Westman, Jim (Donna) Westman all of Rush City, Sandy Westman of Fridley, Barry (Tina) Westman of Janesville, WI, mother-in-law Nadia Pannuti of Italy, nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by an infant brother, grandparents: Oscar & Ruth Lundberg, Hjalmar & Julia Westman Pastor Tim Adams officiated at funeral services for Sharon Westman at the Journey North Church (840 Main Street South) in Pine City at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 23, 2012. A time of visitation was held at the Olson Funeral Chapel on Friday evening from 5-8 p.m. The interment was in the First Lutheran Cemetery in Rush City. Funeral arrangements for Sharon Westman were entrusted to the: Funeral and Cremation Service of Rush City; Olson Chapel.

Familie/Ektefelle/partner: Nålevende. [Gruppeskjema] [Familiediagram]