Paul Lewis Westover

How to sum up a 100-year life full of service, faith, and love? Fortunately, Dad provided a lengthy verbal description to Tracy (daughter) recently. So in his own words, this is the summarized life of Paul Lewis Westover:
“Flags were flying and bands were playing on June 14, 1923. The U.S. was celebrating Flag Day and now the nation was also celebrating the birth of Paul Lewis Westover, who was born in the old LDS Hospital in SLC.

After 5 years of mischievous living, my family moved to El Segundo, CA where my Dad worked for Standard Oil. When I was 8 years old, tragedy struck as my family drove to the movies. A truck hit our car at an intersection and all but Mom survived. It was a crushing and painful time for all of us. After Mom died, I was sent to live with relatives in American Fork, UT. I never knew “home” again. I returned to El Segundo to finish elementary and high school years.

After high school, I got sea fever and went to the superintendent at Standard Oil to apply for a job sailing on the Standard Oil tanker. I sailed for 7 straight months up and down the Pacific coast. Then we got word that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy ordered all ships to return to home port. We were near San Francisco Bay where hundreds of ships were trying to dock so we continued south through nightfall. During the night, our ship got word to return to San Francisco.

The next morning, we sailed into Richmond, CA. As we docked, I received a telegram from my brother-in-law that said my sister was very ill and I needed to return home immediately. Upon arriving home so concerned, I found my sister as healthy and well as ever. It had all been a ploy to get me back home. Soon after, I learned that the same ship had been torpedoed and all hands were lost. After a few months, I joined the Army to serve in WWII. I was later assigned to the Brisbane Medical Supply Unit and we took needed medicine to troops in the Pacific theater. I sailed to Australia, New Guinea, Dutch East Indies, and then to a small island called Bayak. The war ended when I was in Manila, Philippines. The trip home was miserable as I was fighting the dreaded malaria.

Six months after returning home, I was called to serve an LDS mission to the Eastern States mission, under the direction of Pres. S. Dilworth Young. President Young sent me to Sanford, Maine and, during the summer months, we were to work without purse or script. It was an experience I will always remember but never want to repeat. We found ourselves asking strangers for food and a place to sleep. When we had baptisms, we had to dam up the stream in the area to serve as a baptismal font.

One summer, while home from BYU, I saw a brown-eyed beauty sitting across the room at a mutual activity. Her name was Dorothy Church. We dated and fell deeply in love and I finally convinced her that we would be a good couple, so we drove to the St. George temple where we were sealed. We started our life in CA and our frequent and heartfelt prayers were answered when Dorothy gave birth to Polly. Tracy was born 8 years later. Chad was born while I was employed in Hawaii. Our children all married and thankfully live nearby in Utah. Dorothy has been the love of my life. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago. Life changes so fast and painfully.”

Here is what the children think Dad left out:
Dad is the perfect Dad. Fortunately for us, he was our Dad for time and will be for all eternity. He loved us each and every day and we still feel his love with us now. He cheered for us and he cried with us. Dad, of course, wouldn’t mention this but he was an amazing artist. His drawings were legendary, especially the ones inviting everyone to come to El Segundo Ward activities. He made beautiful sculptures, wood carvings, stained glass, frescos, and more. When his eyesight was about gone, he still carved some of the wooden nativity sets by feel. He was loving and talented but way too humble. Deep down, he wanted to be a Disney imagineer but his humility got in the way. He didn’t think he was good enough. So now he can meet Walt Disney and know that he was indeed more than good enough.

Immediately after riding his bike to and from work everyday so Mom could have the car, Dad would get to tending his garden. After moving to Orem, he kept an immaculate garden up to the day they sold the house. He was so worried that the leaves needed to be picked up and plants appropriately watered. He was truly a Renaissance man. He was gifted and shared those gifts freely.

Dad loved and was loved by all who crossed his path. There was not a judgmental or arrogant bone in his body. A kinder gentleman and more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ would be hard to find. He never stopped working or helping. He, himself, rarely asked for help as he always saw himself as capable, regardless of his age. There never was a door he didn’t open for Mom or anyone else. There wasn’t a ladder he couldn't climb to fix the roof or trim a tree, even though he was well into his 90s. He had the elixir for long life and also for a life well lived.

He is now dancing with Mom, hugging his Mom and Travis, and doing in-person interviews with all the Danes, Brits, and Scots that he researched for 10 years and then wrote about in his 585-page book, A Legacy of Faith, which is about our ancestors’ faith-filled journey to find a place and religion to worship and serve Jesus Christ.

Paul is preceded in death by his mother, Lorena Vivian Rankin; his father, Lewis Esper Westover; his sister Maxine Chabries; his beloved wife, Dorothy Church Westover; and his dear grandson, Travis Chad Robison. Paul is survived by his children: Kathy Maciosek (Mike), Polly Smith (Colin), Tracy Robison (Jim), and Chad Westover (Jean) and 15 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. He also leaves with a great head of hair.