Clarence ‘Wes’ Westphal, 98, of Omaha, formerly of West Liberty, died on July 13, 2021. He and wife Eva had still been living in their own home, with the assistance of caregivers, and had been married for 78 years.
Wes is remembered locally beginning in the late 1940s when he came here to join the faculty at West Liberty High School as principal. He also taught. Wes was the Comet basketball coach, and his team made the first trip in the school’s history to the state tournament in 1952. Additionally, Wes and Eva were the original owners of the former popular Frigid Queen business.
Wes was born in 1922 on his parents’ farm near Delmar. He graduated from Iowa Teachers College, lettering in wrestling, and took his first teaching job in Newhall in 1945. He stayed there two years. That was followed by a high school principal position in Calamus. Wes also served as baseball coach in both Newhall and Calamus.
A brief stint as a field rep for the Des Moines Register was next, but Wes didn’t particularly enjoy this, so after seeing an ad for a job in West Liberty, he applied and was accepted.
After relocating here in 1949, Wes and Eva also bought the land and built the Frigid Queen. They worked there together when Wes wasn’t busy teaching or coaching, and Eva handled it on her own otherwise, with the help of a few good students Wes knew.
Coach Westphal was able to get the girls’ basketball team back on a winning road during his time in West Liberty. The popular coach took the team to the state tournament in 1952, advancing to the quarterfinals, finishing with a 24-3 record. During Wes’ total time in West Liberty, the team earned two county championships and two Little Five Conference titles, for an overall record of 54-13.
Wes turned in his resignation in 1952, having accepted a position as math teacher at Franklin High School, Cedar Rapids. The Westphals sold the Frigid Queen to John Kirby. During his teaching years he also refereed for about 15 years.
In 1955 Wes took a position with Prudential Insurance, when he moved to Davenport before getting transferred to Omaha in 1964. Wes stayed with Prudential until he took a position with Diversified Mortgage in Miami, where they only stayed a short time, getting back to the Midwest in taking a position with Nebraska Federal Savings and Loan. He worked for various commercial lenders in his later years and retired in 1987.
Wes loved watching College World Series baseball, which Omaha hosted. He and Eva had season tickets and continued to go to games throughout their 80s. He loved Husker volleyball, football and basketball and Kansas City Royals.
Wes did woodworking in his retirement and made each of his kids a big piece of furniture; he also sold shelves and smaller pieces of furniture he’d made at country shops near Omaha.
Wes and Eva loved to travel and especially enjoyed trips to their ancestral homes of Ireland and Scotland, Germany and Austria.
During retirement, Wes and Eva often made trips back to West Liberty to attend class reunions, and they stayed in touch quite regularly with former students and friends.
Wes’ survivors include his wife, Eva, son Kenneth (Elinor) Westphal and daughter Kathy (Dean) Holdsworth; grandchildren Kristyn (Elvyss) Argueta, Rachael (Tyler) Guthrie, Ashley (Owen) Neesen and Allison (Jon) Price; and six great grandchildren.
Bobbie, the Westphal’s oldest daughter, died in 2020 at age 73. Bobbie’s family included son Dave (Lisa) Schrader and daughter Amber Schrader, and their three children. Amber Schrader and a grandson also preceded Wes in death.
No services were held, but Eva and the family welcome cards. Eva’s address is: 19400 Elk Ridge Drive, Apt. 141, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68002.