Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Westbrook, Ralph Lee 1927
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net August 15, 2012, 11:43 pm

The Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Wednesday, March 2, 1927

The death of Ralph Westbrook, 40, one of Ionia county’s best known and most 
popular farmers, saddened his community Wednesday morning.  Mr. Westbrook died 
at 12:30 Wednesday morning at his home in Ionia township after an illness with 
acute Bright’s disease that had developed to a critical point but a few days 
ago.  Funeral services will be attended from the SS. Peter and Paul church in 
Ionia Friday morning at 10 o’clock city time.

For the past two years Mr. Westbrook had been suffering from the disease which 
terminated in his death.  He had passed through several more or less serious 
attacks and about a year ago recovered temporarily from an acute attack which 
threatened his life.  In recent months he has been gradually weakening under 
the insidious development of his trouble.  In spite of his weakened condition, 
he has carried on his work whenever he could be out and within the past few 
weeks had carried on his farm work and conducted auctions.

Ralph and Mark Westbrook, who have been known in the state as Westbrook Bros. 
Breeders of prize winning Red Polled cattle moved to the farm northeast of 
Ionia in 1914 and with untiring energy set about building up the property and 
their herd of thoroughbred cattle.  They had so far succeeded that they had a 
splendid heard of the finest cattle and modern farm buildings when March 24, 
1925, their buildings and the greater part of the herd were destroyed in fire 
which swept away virtually all of their property, burning their two homes and 
their large barn and most of their livestock.

After this disaster both rebuilt, Ralph moving about a half mile north and 
building a home and barns there so that all of their buildings would not be 
together in case of another fire.  In the past years they have brought their 
Red Polled herd back towards its former excellence, and at the last Chicago 
livestock exhibition purchased a splendid sire to head the herd.  Since the 
fire the entire time of the brothers has been devoted to rebuilding their 
property and they were succeeding through their own ability and untiring 
industry.

Ralph Westbrook is survived byhis widow and nin children, Gertrude, Pauline 
Frances, Elizabeth Richard, Ruth, Chrysta, Nellie Jane and John Lee, by his 
parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. H. Westbrook of Ionia township, three brothers Mark, 
Don and Ross, the latter two of whom are in California, and three sisters, 
Mrs. Mattie Rogers, of Lansing, Mrs. Almeda Durkee, of Grand Rapids, and Mrs. 
Hazel Garrison, of Kalamazoo.



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