Bertis Alfred Westfall, of Columbia, died Friday, April 27, 2007, at Leupir Woods retirement community. He was 99.
Dr. Westfall was born June 4, 1907, in Halfway to Lawrence and Nora Dwison Westfttll. His family moved to Colorado, where he graduated from high school.
Dr. Westfall graduated from MU with a bachelor's degree in 1933, a master's degree in 1934 and a doctoral degree in 1938.
He met his wife, Nell Martin, while they were students. They married in 1933.
Dr. Westfall was a professor on the medical faculty at MU for almost 40 years and known as "Doc" by many close friends and students. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa,. Sigma Xi and Phi. Delta. Kappa. He also belonged to the American Physiological Society, American Society of Experimental Therapeutics and the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine. He was chairman of the physiology and pharmacology department from 1936 to 1965 and the chairman of the pharmacology department from 1965 to 1972, when he retired.
After his retirement, he traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad with his wife. They spent six summers in Alaska in a camper and made more than 14 trips to Hawaii.
Contributions may be made to the Missouri River Hospice, 1410 Herford Road, Columbia, MO, 65202 to the charity of the donor's choice.
- Lindsay Toler