Nancy E. Westphal

Nancy Elaine Westphal, age 75, of Rockford Illinois, passed away on Sunday October 8, 2023. 

Nancy was born on September 11, 1948 to Wilbur and Rosemary Westphal in Oak Park, Illinois. She graduated from Willowbrook High School and became a Registered Nurse at the Evanston School of Nursing. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Health Administration from St Francis College and a Master’s degree in public health from Northern Illinois University. 

She moved to Rockford in 1973 and relocated to the Wesley Willows campus in 2013. During her career, she worked at Swedish American Hospital, Crusader Clinic, Winnebago County Health Department and was the director of the county health department in Kane County. 

One of her proudest achievements was starting the HIV/ AIDS program at Crusader Clinic at the beginning of the epidemic. She also facilitated many positive changes in the Rockford Community during this time. Nancy enjoyed many hobbies, such as knitting, sewing, reading and acrylic painting, while surrounded by friends. You could often find her volunteering in her community at the fair-trade shop or at Christ United Methodist Church. 

Nancy is survived by her children, Mindy Rice and David Augustine (Marie Augustine); grandchildren, Keagan Rice, Kaitlin Rice, Cooper Augustine and Ketra Augustine; nieces Kristi Wibach and Caryn Hutton of California. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Charlene Owens. 

Memorial Services will be held at Christ United Methodist Church in Rockford on Saturday, October 21st at 2:00pm. Fellowship and refreshments to follow. 

Donations can be made to The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health https://johnritterfoundation.org/ or Crusader Community Health Foundation https://www.crusaderhealth.org/donate-now/