Jan. 1955 – May 2019
On Monday, May 27th, 2019, Margaret Anne Westlund, loving mother and beloved teacher, passed away at age 64.
Margaret was born on January 8th, 1955 in Long Beach, CA to Joseph and Jeanette Kniely. She received a Liberal Arts degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1975, and was a devoted teacher for 36 years in both San Ardo, CA and Turlock, CA. She raised one son, Joseph.
Margaret was an award winning teacher that bettered the lives of hundreds of students. She was adored by those that she worked with and was always willing to go the extra mile to make a difference in someone’s life. She loved to laugh and was a positive, uplifting presence to family and friends. She was compassionate, loving and would often put the needs of others before her own. She left this world too soon and will be missed by many.
Margaret was preceded in death by her father, Joseph. She is survived by her mother, Jeanette, her son, Joseph, her life partner, Greg, and her sister, Sue.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11AM on Saturday, June 29th at Allen Mortuary Heritage Chapel in Turlock. Please share memories and condolences in the guestbook below.
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Denise Holmes says
June 29, 2019 at 5:13 pmMrs. Westlund was an amazing teacher. She started teaching at Chatom when I was a student there but I did not have the privilege of having her as my teacher . When my son Dustin was going into 4th grade I requested Mrs. Westlund for his teacher. Dustin really enjoyed her class and said she was one of the nicest teachers he has ever had. She really cared for her students and took the time to teach them. When it was my daughter Destiny’s turn to start 4th grade I chose Mrs. Westlund again. Destiny loved her class. The thing she liked most was that Mrs. Westlund would give a pre-spelling test in the middle of the week. If you received a 100% you wouldn’t have to take the test Friday and you were able to administer the test to the class on Friday. She was so creative in getting students to learn with positive reinforcement. My mom who was also a teacher for many years used to have great conversations with Mrs. Westlund at the back to school nights and open houses. I am very thankful that my children had the honor to be in her class and learn from such an incredible person and teacher.
She will be truly missed by all who had the opportunity to know her.
May her family find peace in knowing that she lived her life to serve others and her dedication to our children will never be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Denise (Furtado) Holmes- Class of 1990
Dustin Holmes- Class of 2015
Destiny Holmes- Class of 2018
Lesley Swanson Holmes says
June 22, 2019 at 4:01 pmTo Joseph, Mr. Burns and the entire Westlund and Kniely Family,
“Ms. Westlund,” as I knew her, was my fifth grade teacher at Chatom many years ago. She was an exceptional teacher and I have many fond memories of my time in her classroom. Looking back, she really was my favorite teacher I had in elementary school because not only did she challenge me and helped shape me to be successful in my academic endeavors, but also she was truly a kind and caring person. You could tell that Ms. Westlund loved her students and wanted them to work hard and succeed. I remember Joey sometimes coming to our classroom when he had a day off of school. Ms. Westlund was obviously a wonderful mother and she will be missed by many.
My deepest condolences to all of Ms. Westlund’s family and friends. May you find peace in this difficult time. Sincerely, Lesley Swanson Holmes (Chatom, Class of 1999)