Thomas Watkins Westerfield
December 23, 1939 – September 11, 2012
A Christian. A son. A brother. A student. A farmer. A basketball player. A teacher. A husband. A father. A friend. An administrator. A leader. A disciplinarian. A comforter. A builder. A tinkerer. A disaster responder. A Ham Radio operator. A thinker and a doer. Above all, He was a servant.
One year ago today, my father, Tom Westerfield, died while doing something he loved - running an antique Allis Chalmers tractor - on the small farm I share with my brothers. My mother, five brothers and I miss my father today more than ever, and I continue to encounter moments when I wish I had his counsel. Among the most difficult truths I face are that I'll never have a child to grow up hearing him laugh and learning from his incredible intellect and wisdom, and that I couldn't share my Senate victory with him. But I also know I wouldn't be where I am today without him.
On behalf of the Westerfield family, thank you for your prayers, encouragement and service to us over the last year.