The life of Roland Hite Westbrook ended peacefully on September 15, 2019. He was 95 years old. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Cleveland and Maude Lillian Hite Westbrook, his sister Florence Westbrook Cimino, stepsister Mildred Thompson Humphries, a special aunt, Lucille “Tootie” Hite Thompson, as well as his wife, Irvin Whitlow Westbrook. He is survived by his daughters, Diana, Donna (Lynn), Dawn (Carl), Denise and granddaughter, Sydney. Roland was born in Waverly, Va., where he lived until he was 13. After his father died, he and his mother moved to South Boston, Va., to live with her sister, Lucille Thompson. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and, after basic training, landed on the beaches of Normandy six days after the D-Day invasion. He was wounded in Germany, recovered in England and afterward served as an MP back in Germany before being discharged. After the war, he attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, graduating in 1950 with a degree in sociology. Later that year, he married Irvin Whitlow and moved with her to Sandston, Va., where they raised their four daughters. They both played active roles in the community and in Sandston Baptist Church. He was an English teacher at Highland Springs High School for one year and, after deciding that teaching wasn’t for him, was he hired as a teller by Southern Bank (later, Jefferson National), where he spent the rest of his career, retiring in 1986 as the bank’s only teller trainer. During his retirement, he was an active volunteer, serving in hospice, as a family and staff liaison at Retreat Hospital and as an Elder at West End Assembly of God, where he served as visitation minister. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, September 18, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23231. The funeral service will be held Thursday, September 19, at 11 a.m. at West Assembly of God, 401 N. Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. at Washington Memorial Park, Sandston, VA 23150. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Proceeding Word Church at P.O. Box 6142, Glen Allen, VA 23058. Online condolences may be made at www.nelsenrichmond.com.
