James W. Westendorff

James Wayne Westendorff, age 76, the oldest child of Clarence Andrew and Frances Nadine (Page) Westendorff was born June 28, 1940 in Blairstown, Missouri; and passed away from this life January 24, 2017 at Louisburg Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, Louisburg, Kansas. Jim and Betty Brown were married on September 4, 1960 at Bethel Baptist Church, Paola, Kansas. To this union, two daughters and one son were born. As a young man, he began working for Forrest Gill at what is now Gill Studios, Inc. He retired after 33 years of employment. After retiring, he pursued his dream of farming. He loved tilling the ground and harvesting his crops. Jim learned the love of nature from his father. They loved fishing and hunting together. He passed this love of hunting and fishing to his son Robert. Jim was an avid marksman. He had much success in skeet shooting, winning many competitions. He also was an active volunteer in the Paola Little League and Babe Ruth programs in the early 1980s while Robert played. As a grandfather, Jim loved following his grandchildren"s sports and activities. There was never a weekend that went by when there wasn"t baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, dance recitals and music programs for him to attend. His highlight was the yearly fishing trip on the river with the family and the fish fry that followed. His family was his priority. Among those who preceded him in death were his parents, step-sister Evelyn Sammons, step-brother Donald Highley, and step-mother Irene Westendorff. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Betty of the home; daughter Karen Nelson (Mark) of Paola, KS; daughter Linda Emas (Greg) of Olathe, KS; and son Robert Westendorff (Dawn) of Lemoore, CA; sister Clara Castro (Tony) of Grain Valley, MO; step-sister Jean Waltmier of Harrisonville, MO; step-sister Connie Stackhouse (Bill) of Overland Park, KS; 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church or COPD Foundation. To share a memory of James or to leave a special condolence message for his family, please click the Share Memories tab. First Baptist Church, 207 E. Wea St., Paola, KS Service: Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 2:00pm Visitation: Saturday, January 28, 2017 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm