Berton Philip Westman passed away on Friday, June 17, 2016, at the age of 91 at St. Luke's Hospital inDuluth.

He was born on February 10, 1925 at Nurse Nelson's home in Hinckley, Minnesota. His family lived about three miles south of Windshuttle Flat east of Hinckley. He attended Sunnybrook Grade School east of Hinckley and graduated from Hinckley High School in 1943. When Bert started high school he had never seen a basketball game or a football game but ended up getting letters in each.

Bert's first job was working at Fritze's farm east of Hinckley where the casino is now. He entered the Navy and after his discharge he worked as an orderly at Minneapolis General Hospital where he met Jessie Whitney, a student nurse. They were married on June 3, 1945. He had his first beer and learned to dance after they were married.

His next job was driving a semi-truck in Minneapolis and St. Paul for Connelly Contractors and delivered one hundred pound sacks of flour to bakeries. He and Jessie moved to Hinckley with their two little boys in 1949 where he worked in the Ford Garage and learned to do car bodywork. They moved to Superior in 1951 and after working in several garages in town Bert opened his own body shop at 1825 Broadway and later moved to 1215 Belknap.

Bert was a member of Trinity Methodist Church and Faith United Methodist Church, and held several offices in the church. He was president of the official board at one time and president of adult fellowship. He sang in the church choir for fifty years and cooked spaghetti sauce for fifty years. He was always available to do repairs on the church building.

He was leader of the Douglas County 4-H Horse Club, the Lakeland Riders, for ten years and took the members on two trail rides a year to the Gordon bird sanctuary. Bert was a Cubmaster in south Superior for ten years and a Cub Scout committee member for five years. He and his friend, Ronald Glanville, took the older Boy Scouts on camping trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

He was a member of Toastmasters, the Moose Club, and Twin Ports Square Dance Club for twenty-nine years where he made many good friends. Bert played the guitar and he loved to play at nursing homes with his friends Bill Cook and Roy Havron.

Bert was the father of four wonderful children: Michael, a major in the Air Force, as was his wife, Sue; Patrick, who was vice-president of a bank in Phoenix, Arizona and his wife Erika; Sandra, a Registered Nurse at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center; and Linda. He had ten grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren and a brother, Frank Westman. He loved his family and was willing to help them out at any time.

He loved to travel and visited most of the United States and many foreign countries. He bowled and golfed, built two houses and a cabin, and was very good at fixing things at home and at church.

Preceding Bert in death were his grandparents and his parents, Pearl and Gust Westman.

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until the 2 p.m. service Saturday, June 25, 2016, at Faith United Methodist Church, 1531 Hughitt Avenue, Superior. Reverend Joel Certa-Werner will be the officiant. Committal prayers will be at a later date in Greenwood Cemetery, Superior.

Downs Funeral Home, corner of 19th St and Ogden Ave., is assisting the family with arrangements.