Alan D. Westheimer

Alan David Westheimer, born in Houston, on the 15th of June 1943, ended his amazing journey on Thursday, the 12th of June 2025, due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 81 years of age (just three days shy of his 82nd birthday).

Alan was preceded in death by his loving wife and best friend of forty-nine years, Ivis Harriman Westheimer; his parents, I. Mark and Geraldine N. Westheimer; and by his grandparents, Adolf and Esther Westheimer, and Morris and Corinne Nagel.

He is survived by his children and stepchildren, Michael N. Westheimer (Diane), Rachel Westheimer Neave (James), Garth V. Phillips, Jr. (Kit), and Gavin J. Rouleau (Crystal); as well as by his grandchildren and step-grandchildren, Evan and Aliya Westheimer, Katie and Icarus Vojvodic, and Ethan and River Neave. He is also survived by his brother, Donald N. Westheimer, M.D. (Cindy); and by his nephew and nieces, Joshua (Brandi), Emily, and Rowan Westheimer. He will be sorely missed by the family’s furry friends, Sam the poodle, and Clementine and Bella the Tonkinese kitties.

Alan graduated from Roberts Elementary School, Pershing Junior High School, and Bellaire High School (1961), during which time he was a member of Abe Silverman AZA. He received a BSE degree from the Wharton School of Finance & Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania (1965), where he was a member of Phi Sigma Delta fraternity, and an MBA degree from the Haas School of Business of the University of California at Berkeley (1966).

After six months of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, followed by six years of service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the 32nd Medical Services Squadron located at Ellington AFB, TX, Alan settled into what became a fifty-five year career in public accounting beginning with the CPA firm Farb, Miller & Beerman, then with Alexander Grant & Co., Pannell Kerr Forster, and a number of his own firms, including Goldberg Westheimer & Co., Westheimer & Company, Westheimer Shumberg LLP, and his solo practice, Alan D. Westheimer, CPA/CFF, CFE, from which he retired in 2022.

During the course of his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a credential he held in Texas and, for a dozen years in six other jurisdictions, Alan also became a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and obtained the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) designations Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). During the first twenty-five or so years of his career Alan was primarily a tax practitioner with a large cadre of recurring clients, however, in the late 1980s he began to specialize in forensic accounting investigative engagements that typically involved lawsuits and his functioning as a testifying expert witness. He was reputed to be very intense and thorough in his work albeit somewhat jocular in business social situations.

Alan was a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Texas Society of CPAs, the Houston CPA Society, and for a dozen years the state CPA societies of the six other jurisdictions where he was licensed as a CPA. He was also a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and its Houston Area Chapter, the Houston Estate & Financial Forum (Past President), the Houston Business and Estate Planning Council, the Wednesday Tax Forum, the Tax Procedure Group, and the Turnaround Management Association.

Over the years, Alan served on a number of committees of these professional organizations. In the early 1980s, Alan commenced what evolved into a twenty-five-year side career as an adjunct professor teaching income tax and management classes at the Jones School of Business of Rice University, The Bauer College of Business of the University of Houston, and the University of Houston Law Center. During the 1990s, Alan served for six years as a public member of a State Bar of Texas’ Grievance Committee adjudicating complaints made against Texas attorneys. During this time period he was twice recognized by a national professional journal as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. Furthermore, Alan also served as a board member and/or accountant for three homeowners’ associations that served the communities in which Alan and Ivis lived. Alan was a prolific author and speaker on professional topics, publishing in numerous professional journals and speaking at many professional conferences over the years.

Alan and Ivis had a long and loving marriage. They traveled extensively and truly enjoyed each other’s company. They were polar opposites though their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other to the point where together they were a whole, each having the other’s back, a fact that contributed greatly to the strength of their marriage.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Saturday, the 21st of June, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A memorial service is to be conducted at half-past twelve o’clock noon on Sunday, the 22nd of June, at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood Boulevard in Houston, where Rabbi Adrienne P. Scott, Senior Associate Rabbi is to officiate.

Immediately following all are invited to greet the family during a meal of condolence in the Wolff-Toomim Hall.

Prior to the service the family will have gathered for a private interment at Beth Israel Memorial Garden in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in Alan’s name may be directed to the ALS Association by selecting the icon below under “Donations” or you may donate to your charity of choice.

We invite you to take a few moments to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with his family by selecting the “Add a Memory” icon below.