By JEFF LIPTON and JOSEPH KELLARD
³He loved the fire department,² said his son, Joseph Westenberger. ³That was his thing and he enjoyed doing it. It was something he looked forward to doing, going out to fires. And he was dedicated to it to the end.²
Although he was not necessarily fighting fires in his later years, he wanted to stay involved by helping at the scene with traffic control and other important duties, Island Park fire officials said.
An ex-chief of the IPFD, Westenberger devoted himself to the department so deeply that he still routinely listened to fire department transmissions on a scanner in his living room, his son said.
The department was preparing to honor him on May 5, when he was set to receive a plaque for 50 years of active service, said IPFD Rich Colon. The honor will now be bestowed upon him posthumously.
As well as serving as chief, Westenberger also held the titles of lieutenant and captain of the fire department and served as a mentor and a role model for the younger firefighters, Colon said.
Westenberger was a staple at fire department meetings, and was also a warden on the Fire Department Council, the governing body of the IPFD.
³He was very much dedicated and involved,² said Colon, who had known Westenberger for many years. ³He was a very nice guy and very helpful and friendly, always willing to lend a helping hand. He was always offering his infinite wisdom and knowledge to the younger firefighters, who were guided by his direction.²
Westenberger was also devoted to his wife, Lena, who he married 60 years ago last September. The Lynbrook natives were teens when they¹d met and attended high school together. After their wedding they moved to Island Park, live in the same home for 59 years, and had two children, Joseph and Virginia.
³He really enjoyed the fire department and remained very, very active up until the last few years,² Lena recalled. ³He devoted his life to the fire department, and took the kids to the firehouse a lot.²
Lena said that her husband liked to kept to himself, spending a lot of time in their basement, which is decorated with firematic memorabilia and trophies and photos of firefighter ceremonies and activities line a wall. One of his favorite pastimes was to spend a few hours each day reading newspapers from cover to cover.
Before he retired, Westenberger for many years owned a gas station/auto body shop on Austin Boulevard in Island Park, working six days a week there. ³He was very hardworking,² his son said. ³There was a lot of time he spent with his shop.²
Island Park Fire Chief Robert Wells called Westenberger ³a very warm person who was always there when you needed him. He was a very nice person who always wanted to help.²
Wells, who has known Westenberger since 1978, added that ³he was truly dedicated to the community and to the fire department.²
³He also was a man of knowledge,² he added. ³Whatever you wanted to know, he would know. He was a world of knowledge for the young and old.²
Westenberger is survived by his wife Lena; son Joseph and his wife Judy; daughter Virginia and her husband Bob Montuoro; and five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services were held at Flinch & Bruns Funeral Home in Lynbrook, with a Firematic Service, including a procession through the streets of Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Oceanside and Island Park, during which about six fire departments participated to honor the longtime firefighter.
³The ceremony was so overwhelming,² said his son.
Cremation took place at Pond Crematory in Middle Village. Westenberger¹s final resting place is Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, N.Y.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
