Obituary of Willem Westman

Willem Westman, 93, of Castleton, New York, beloved husband of Mia, passed away on March 23, 2023. Wim was born on November 22, 1929 in Sappemeer, a Dutch town in the province of Groningen in The Netherlands. He emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1957 with Mia and her family, and they became Naturalized Citizens. Wim was always a hard worker. He was employed as a carpenter at Freihofer’s Baking Company, and after working all day he made time for landscaping and a variety of other jobs. Wim was skilled in many trades and was a master of all. If you needed a job done well, he was the one for the job. Wim was a man of strong faith, and served in various capacities when he attended Rensselaer United Methodist Church, Grace Methodist, The Dutch Reformed Church in Nassau, and First Church in Albany. Wim had many God given gifts. He was a craftsman extraordinaire (who could make, create, or fix anything), painted fine works of art, and would bring a smile to your face when he played you a song on the guitar, ukulele, or harmonica. He had a passion for running, which propelled him to participate and win medals in local races and the Empire State Games.  He also enjoyed playing in a bocce ball league and a church dart baseball league, where he was known for a unique underhand throw.  Wim was truly talented in every way, and he was a very special person. He touched the hearts of everyone he met by sharing his childhood experiences of living during WWII, and he changed your day when he greeted you with a smile, made you laugh with his wonderful sense of humor, or spread happiness when he gave you a bouquet of pinecone flowers or a pair of miniature wooden deer. His joy was giving others joy. Of all the time he spent doing things for others, family time was the best time. One of his favorite activities was spending quiet moments sitting next to Mia, peacefully watching the birds and deer.

In addition to his wife of 66 years, Wim is survived by his adored children, Jakob (Bernice), James (Betsy), and Lisa (James); much-loved grandchildren, Brandon, James (Ashley), and Daniel (Hannah) and darling great grandchildren, Emma-Lee and Owen. Wim is also survived by his loving family in The Netherlands; his siblings Jacob Westman, Mina (Kees) Norder, Richte (Corrie) Westman, and Janny (Jans) Bosscher; as well as many loving nieces and nephews. Wim also had many dear friends, especially his wonderful neighbors at The Spinney.