Encircle Heber Music Room
Michael Kauffman Westwood
Son | Brother | Uncle | Music Lover | Traveler | Flight Attendant
The music room was named by Isaac and Emma Westwood in memory of Isaac’s uncle, Michael K. Westwood.
Brief biography of Michael K. Westwood (1961-1994), written by Brad & Virlie Westwood
"Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night"
— Blackbird (1968), The Beatles
Michael, at age two, with his siblings and mother, Yvonne Westwood, circa 1963.
Born on St. Patrick's Day in 1961 with green eyes and curly blond hair, Michael was the fourth child of Richard D. Westwood and Yvonne Kauffman Westwood. Raised as a Roman Catholic in Provo, Utah, he grew up wandering the foothills of Y Mountain, swimming, skiing, and playing with his older twin brothers Barry and Brad, but even more so with his sister Kelly, who was his dearest friend and confidant. Michael’s mother, Yvonne, was also an unfailing supporter, with laughter frequently heard between them.
Michael, age nine
Gentle and full of peace, Michael was inquisitive, an avid conversationalist and debater, a lover of live music, a jokester, and a unicyclist. He also never missed a chance at adventure and travel. Always a consummate host and guide, he loved his life in Portland, Oregon, and later in Boston, Massachusetts.
Michael’s career was as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines (1985 to 1994), based out of Portland and later Boston, but first, he was a restaurant cook and manager (he had grown up working in his father’s café in Provo).
Michael Westwood at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, circa 1989.
A transformative time in Michael’s life was when, at the age of 14 (after his parent’s divorce), he, his sister Kelly, their mother, Yvonne, and Grandmother Eva Kauffman, all left Utah for Oregon, which had always been home to Michael’s mother and grandmother. The Oregon Coast, especially Cannon Beach and its beloved Haystack Rock, became a special place for Michael.
Knowing clearly, even as a child, that he was gay, Michael came out just after high school in the late 1970s. Michael always lived his life with purpose and joy, and even though he lived with constant discrimination, he never lost his self-worth.
Michael Westwood traveling by train, Boston, MA, circa 1988.
Michael was one of 35 million people worldwide who succumbed to the AIDS virus since it was identified in 1981. He died only 18 months before the first antiviral drugs proved positive in suppressing this disease. Thanks to these therapies, those who have HIV/AIDS today can often live happy, full lives.
Michael's many friends lit a fire on Cannon Beach, played guitar, and sang the songs Michael knew and loved. Michael's family scattered his ashes in the wind around Haystack Rock. A painting of Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast is in the Heber Encircle music room. The final song sung that day at the beach was the Beatles' Blackbird, which henceforth served as the official family song for Isaac Westwood's parents and their family. A printing of the lyrics to Blackbird has been placed near this memoria.
Isaac and Emma Westwood have dedicated the Heber Encircle music room to Michael’s memory, knowing that if he were still living, he would be thrilled to see the vibrant LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, and families who have such a safe and welcoming place as Heber Encircle.
Halloween in Oregon, circa 1989.
