Obituary of Carolyn A. Westerdahl

Carolyn (Lovejoy) Westerdahl died Sat, Nov 19th, 2016 at her apartment in Denville, NJ, age 81, of a heart attack. Carolyn was born in Oklahoma City in the middle of the Great Depression to Glenn and Esther Lovejoy. Her family were active members of Crown Heights Christian Church, with which Carolyn maintained a lifelong affiliation. She attended Classen High School in OKC. Carolyn was brilliant and independent from the beginning. Though no-one in her family had a science background, she majored in Chemistry at the University of Chicago and got her doctorate from University of California, Berkeley in 1961. She made her career at the Armaments Research Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, doing materials research, specializing in aeronautical adhesives. After college, she married Ray Westerdahl and they settled in Denville, NJ. Carolyn was happy to be near the cultural attractions of New York City. As well as enjoying regular trips into "the City", she and Ray were avid bird watchers and loved to travel. They were devoted members of the choir at their church, the historic Presbyterian Church in Morristown, NJ. After Ray passed away in 2015, Carolyn continued practicing yoga, traveling on tours, visiting relatives, and enjoying her friends and family. She will be greatly missed by all. Carolyn was preceded in death by her sister, Betty Weber of Tulsa, OK. Survivors include her brother, Ken Lovejoy and wife Maya of Oklahoma City; nephews and nieces Mark Weber and wife Ellen Liss of Oklahoma City, Wayne Weber of Houston, TX, Gayle Weber of Tulsa, OK, Carole Borggren of Washington DC, Janet Borggren of Chicago, IL, Jim Borggren and wife Kath of Macclesfield, England, Joy Westerdahl and husband Brett Oden of Buffalo, MN, Julie Anton and husband Ted of Chicago, IL; cousins Karl Modenbach and wife Jaylene of Tulsa, OK, and Richard Modenbach and wife Linda of Tulsa, OK; brother-in-law Al Weber of Tulsa, OK; and sister-in-law Dolores Westerdahl of Buffalo, MN. Memorial service will be at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, 57 E Park Pl, Morristown, NJ, at 1 pm, Saturday Dec 10, 2016. Donations in her memory may be made to the Audubon Society by way of www.inmemoryof-memorial.org.