Here is a link to a you tube video tribute to my dad set to a song I wrote for him several years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OfcxdqMKi4

Scott Westfahl
 

Richard “Dick” Westfahl, a retired U.S. Navy Commander, died peacefully at his home in Houston on Sunday, March 6th.  He was 78.

Dick was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1938 to Walter and Rosemarie Westfahl and was the oldest of three boys.  His brothers Lynn and David pre-deceased him.  He attended Milwaukee’s Washington High School, where he played football, wrestled and was elected senior class president.  Upon graduation, he received a congressional appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1959 as a member of the 10th Company.

He began his Navy career aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Edson.   In 1961, Dick was chosen to join the highly selective ranks of the Navy’s newly formed nuclear submarine force.  As a young officer, he first served upon the U.S.S. Shark and the U.S.S. Whale, and then had the honor of being the engineering officer of the U.S.S. Gato through its construction, launch and commissioning in Quincy, MA.  From 1968-70, Dick earned his M.S. in Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.  Following service as the executive officer of the missile submarine U.S.S. George C. Marshall, he assumed command of the U.S.S. Jack at the NATO naval base in La Maddalena, Italy.  Dick guided the U.S.S. Jack with distinction through successful deployments and a reactor overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire and retired from the Navy in 1979 after serving as Deputy Commander of Submarine Squadron Twelve in New London.

Following his naval service, Dick began his successful civilian career with Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, where he formed and managed the nuclear technology division of 6,000 engineers, established the company’s office in Richland, WA and grew its Houston, TX office from 150 to over 3,000 employees.  He later served as Director of Business Development for Harding Lawson Associates, President of Raytheon Engineering and Constructors Company, and as a Managing Director for Enron Engineering and Construction Company in Houston.  He also was appointed Chairman of the Environmental Export Council of the United States.

Dick and his wife Jacqueline Westfahl arrived in Houston in 1985 and fully embraced their new Texas home.  But for retaining his life-long love for the Green Bay Packers and his two shares of stock in that franchise, Dick would proudly tell everyone he met that he was from Houston, Texas and was prepared at any time to extoll the virtues of Houston and Katy.  Over the years, Dick and Jackie have actively supported the Houston Opera and Ballet, as well as the Alley Theater.  As a founding member of Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church, Dick applied his can-do, engineer spirit to help oversee the church’s construction and facilities.  He also regularly participated in social events and bible study and sponsored annual youth group excursions to see his beloved Houston Rockets play.  He will be missed dearly by members of the Grand Lakes congregation.

His passion for the U.S. Naval Academy continued throughout his life and he was a President’s Circle member of the Academy’s Alumni Association.  He took great joy in the success of Navy Football and sports in general.  Always intensely curious about the world, Dick used his knack for detailed planning to travel extensively with Jackie in the U.S. and abroad.  He loved visiting with his grandchildren on Cape Cod and annually to the Turks & Caicos islands as well.  He was also a voracious reader of mysteries, biographies, and historical fiction. 

Dick was a natural leader, a builder and a man of extraordinary generosity who lived his life in service of others.  He had a special ability to see the path through any challenge and instill confidence in those around him that everything would work out.  He offered the world his incredible warmth, strength and integrity, as well as his genuine, sincere ability to meet and listen to people where they were in their own lives, without judgment.  We celebrate his legacy of helping people in need and are heartbroken at his loss.

Dick is survived by Jackie and his three sons Jeff, Scott and Chris, his former wife Dianne Peck, his four grandchildren Joshua, Kevin, Richard and Steven, as well as Jackie’s six children Mike, Michelle, Scott, Patrick, Tom and Mary, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

A memorial service and reception will be held at Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church in Katy, Texas on Sunday, March 13th at 2:00 p.m.   Dick’s final resting place will be the United States Naval Academy Columbarium in Annapolis, Maryland, following a committal service at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 13th. 

Flowers may be sent to Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church, 6035 South Fry Road, Katy, TX 77450, or in lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made in Dick’s honor to either the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association https://www.usna.com/sslpage.aspx?pid=228 or Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church http://grandlakespc.org/donate   Also, Dick lovingly supported the Sweet Heat Jam Company, which provides opportunities to high school graduates with Down’s syndrome or other developmental, physical or intellectual disabilities, and the family recommends purchases of their jam from www.sweetheatjam.com.