John R. Westerfield Jr. ’49

John Westerfield died March 4, 2011, in New Haven, Conn.  

He was born in Glen Ridge, N.J., and raised in Essex Falls, N.J. After he prepared at the Lawrenceville School, John majored in chemistry at Princeton. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  

John married Charlotte (“Char”) June 16, 1950, and in the early years of their marriage they moved often as John pursued a career with Union Carbide. A highlight for him was starting and coaching the Pee Wee hockey league in Kansas City for his son, Jack, and horseback riding with his daughter, Liz, in Avon, Conn.  

The family settled in Avon, where John retired from the Stanley Works. A passionate and gifted athlete, John competed in tennis, paddle tennis, and golf. He was a Paddle Tennis Seniors National Tennis Champion. He served on the board of the Farmington River Watershed and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity.  

John is survived by Char, son Jack, daughter-in-law Parker, daughter Liz, son-in-law Scott Kinnamon, step-granddaughter Jane Miller McDonnell and her family, and grandchildren Lucy and Ella. To them all, we extend our deepest sympathies.