Van Calvin Westbrook

A memorial service celebrating the life of Van Calvin Westbrook, 90, of West Monroe, Louisiana will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, November 16, 2024, at First Methodist Church, 1411 Glenwood Drive West Monroe, Louisiana 71291, with Rev. Chris Winterman and Rev. Ricky Baker officiating. A private interment will be held for family only, Visitation will be held from 9:00 A.M. until the time of service at the church.

Van was born in Florien, Louisiana on June 2, 1934 and passed away in West Monroe, Louisiana on November 13, 2024. 

Mr. Westbrook was a loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, and brother; he loved his family fiercely. He attended nine elementary grades at Florien Elementary School and three grades at Oberlin High School. He then attended Southwestern University in Lafayette, Louisiana for one year and went on to transfer to Louisiana Tech in Ruston for the next three years and received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and Land Surveying. His first and only employment was with the LA DOTD. His first assignment was to assist in the design and alignment of I-20. His employment was interrupted to serve for two years in the United States Army. Once he returned from the Army, he began working at the LA DOTD just in time to make the first concrete pour on I-20. When Van first began working at the LA DOTD he started as an engineer 1 and then throughout the years he was promoted to the highest position, Professional Engineer Administrator, which he held for seventeen years. He had the responsibility of constructing and maintaining all roads and bridges in the nine Northeast Louisiana Parishes. Mr. Westbrook continued to work for the LA DOTD until his retirement in September of 1993.

After his retirement, Van and Barbara enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and also across the southern part of Canada. They loved to garden and tend to their flowers. They were faithful members of First Methodist Church of West Monroe and enjoyed serving as board and committee chairs. Van and Barbara loved to sing in the chancel choir, He was known as “Mr. Fix It” because he enjoyed doing maintenance work around the church. He also served as a board member on the Civil Service Board of the city of West Monroe. Van was a happy man who was blessed with very good health, had a wonderful family, loved his church work, and was always serving God.

Mr. Westbrook was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. V.L. and Lois Westbrook; Sister, Myrtle Langley; brothers, William T. Westbrook and Leon Westbrook; and son-in-law, Greg Slocum.

Those left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of thirty-four years, Barbara Childress Westbrook; sister, Louise Westbrook; daughters, Tammy Slocum Cox and her husband, David and Janet Cook and her husband, Tom; grandchildren, Kristin Hill (Kyle), Alayna Eley (David), and Shannon Schomaker (Adam); great grandchildren, Spencer Hill, Jude Hill, Gavin Eley, Emmy Eley, Scarlett Schomaker, and Vivian Schomaker; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and other loved ones. 

The family would like to extend gratitude to all the caregivers from Always Best Care who attended to Mr. Van in his final months. Special thanks go out to the Louisiana Hospice caregivers, the chaplain, and all of the workers who assisted him to the end of his life.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Methodist Church of West Monroe, Louisiana, 1411 Glenwood Drive West Monroe, Louisiana 71291.