Obituary

Alvin "Al" A. Westman 1930—2020
Alvin "Al" A. Westman, 90, died on November 19, at Wesley Willows. Born November 6, 1930, in Menominee, Michigan, Al was the only child of Adolph and Delia (Walander) Westman. Al's father lost his job during the Great Depression, and they had to live in temporary housing until his mother died at age 47. Al's parents always encouraged him to get a good education since they both had to leave schools to work on their family farms. Al attended Menominee public schools, won oratory contests, played in the bands, and graduated as salutatorian of his 1949 high school class. With the help of his father, summer and part time jobs, and scholarships, he graduated from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois in 1953 with a major in accounting and a minor in education. He was the first of his relatives to attend college. At Augustana he met the love of his life, Marilyn (Dolly) Borden. Among other things they enjoyed playing tennis together. They became engaged under the college bell tower just before graduation. Al was drafted into the U.S. Army near the end of the Korean War and served as an intelligence analyst at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri until he was flown to Tokyo, Japan to serve at the United Nations Far East Command Headquarters. He was the only enlisted man in the Political, Economic, and Sociological Intelligence Unit on both Korea's. There he was awarded a citation and the Commendation medal by General Lemnitzer for his work on a special project. While in Japan, Al climbed the 12,888-foot-high Mount Fuji. After Army service, Al married Marilyn in Rockford on June 30, 1956. He was briefly employed in the accounting department of J. L. Clark before he joined the international public accounting firm of KPMG (formerly Peat, Marwick, Mitchell) in 1958 and obtained his CPA certification. Subsequent management courses included studies at Harvard and Stanford Universities. From 1973 to 1985, when he retired, Al was the managing partner of the KPMG Rockford office. He was the former president of the Northern Chapter of CPA' s, was active in the Illinois Society of CPA's and its committees and was a member of the American Institute of CPA's. Al was extremely proud of his three sons who also became CPA's (two of whom obtained their MBA' s) and additional certifications as they excelled in financial related entities. Al also was also proud that many of his former employees also became leaders in businesses.
Family was very important to Al and Marilyn. In addition to yearly family vacations in the US and foreign countries, Al took each son on a special vacation - camping, white water rafting down the Colorado and Snake Rivers.
After retirement, Al served as a financial consultant to Rockford businesses, served on numerous boards, and participated in volunteer activities. These included: president of the Rockford Housing Authority, on the Wesley Willows board, treasurer and board member of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the Rockford Credit Bureau, and the Rockford Country Club. He was an advisor to the formation of the Janet Wattles Mental Health Center, the Winnebago County Public Safety Board, and participated in financial studies of Rockford schools and government. Former memberships included the Rockford Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow) and the University Club.
In his retirement years, Al also pursued his long-time photography hobby which produced numerous awards and travelogue shows. He served as president of the Rockford Photo Club, led photo excursions, and taught photography sessions at the Rock Valley College Center for Learning in retirement. He was a founder of the Wesley Willows Photography Club.
Al and Marilyn, his loving wife and best friend of 60 years, traveled extensively in the world with emphasis on visiting Mayan and Incan civilization ruins in Mexico, Central America, and Peru. Among other travels and adventures, they white-water rafted, back-packed up the slopes of Wyoming's highest mountain, hiked in the Amazon jungle, and traveled to the top and bottom of the earth (North Cape, Norway and Cape Horn, south of Argentina).
Survived by sons David (Lori) of St. Joseph, Michigan, and grandchildren Tyler (Rachel) with their children Lucas, Abigail, and Hailey, Kayla, Colin and Derek, son Paul (Dr. Nirmala Salgado) of Rock Island, Illinois and grandson Arjun, son Mark (Debbie) of Sun Valley, Idaho and granddaughters Kyra and Annika. Al is also survived by cousins, nephews and former daughter-in-law Teresa Westman of Telluride, Colorado. Pre-deceased by his parents and his wife Marilyn who died unexpectedly on June 14, 2016. Memorials can be made to the donor's choice or to the Westman Family Scholarship Endowment Fund at Augustana College, to help others attain their education. Burial in Scandinavian Cemetery. Member of Christ Lutheran Church, Belvidere.
Funeral service will be private for family, but the public is welcome to join via Zoom at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 24, 2020. Please refer to www.olsonfh.com for a link on Tuesday.