Dan W. Westerman

A photographer, and a part-time adjunct instructor at Houston Community College. He was a great teacher largely because he was a perpetual student; he loved logic, cooking, cards, jazz, travel, Bach, shooting pool, flying airplanes, playing piano, photography, and anything worth learning about.

Dan was a beloved son, an influential teacher, and a fierce friend. He was a man of great faith, and his love for God, the Church, his friends and family, colleagues and students showed in his work and his actions. His love and passion for teaching was rivaled only by his love for truth. His passion for teaching was not reducible to the bromides of feel good movies or glib expression. His passion for truth operated within the bounds of the Catholic Church teaching, the repository of ancient truth and tradition. His quest was relentless and heroic, and never lessened or failed. His students revered him because his dedication to church and faith was shaped by a tradition of religious values irreducible and absolute. Hundreds even thousands of young women were affected over the thirty-eight years of his teaching at St. Agnes Academy. A text message one of Dan’s fellow teachers received in the hours following the announcement of his death proves an exemplary expression of student commendation. “He made me actually understand the Catholic faith and want to learn about every religion.” Antoine Domino may have found his thrill on Blueberry Hill, but Dan Westerman found his in the theology class room that he manned for all of those years: teaching, inspiring, exhorting. Now that he is resting in the embrace of our Savior, he can joyfully explore the variety of God’s lovingly creative force with the zeal that he had for the gift of life. Dan was a gift to all those who knew him.

Funeral Mass will be held at 4:00 pm, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 8200 Roos Rd., Houston, TX 77036.