Our mother’s journey began on Nov. 21, 1930, and stood still on May 17, 2026. In between those dates, she was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, friend, medical transport volunteer, and indefatigable explorer of destinations near and far. Born Dolores Nadine Deckert in Great Bend, Kan., to Ivan Earl and Sylvia Ethel (Williams) Deckert, she was the second of five siblings. Except for a short period in Parsons, Kan., she lived her life in Great Bend. She graduated from Great Bend High School in 1948 and married A. Leon Westfall on Nov. 19, 1950. During the first few years of her marriage, she worked outside the home and, at her father’s insistence, returned to her parents’ house (against her wishes) when the U.S. Army decided Dad’s time was better spent fighting in Korea.