LaVerne Creger Westley

Laverne "Creger" Westley (1918-1947)
Lot 241 / Plot 2
Born June 16, 1918 - New Castle, CO
Died September 11, 1947 - Boiler Creek Area North of New Castle
Wife - Ruth Ellen Johnston (Married May 21, 1943 - Waco, TX)
Children - Raelyn, Creger Jr.
Parents - Alfred Westley & Jennie Creger
Siblings - Harold, Arlene
Creger grew up in New Castle and attended school there and was a graduate of New Castle High School. He attended Mesa College in Grand Junction for 2-1/2 years where he was an outstanding athlete. He enlisted in the Airforce on Feb. 17, 1942 and was Honorably discharged on Dec. 11, 1945. he attained the rank of 1st Lt. in the AC 253rd, AAF Base Unit. After his military service he returned to New Castle and was a basketball and football coach for the New Castle high school. He also provided flying lessons using his Piper airplane. He was well known for landing and flying his plane from a make shift air field where the high school football field was located across (south) the river from New Castle. Creger along with his student pilot Lewis Zarlingo was killed in an airplane crash on September 11, 1947 during one of his training lessons in the Boiler Creek area of the Flattops north of New Castle. The plane and the bodies of the two men were not found until July of 1948.

1946-1947 School Year. Coach Greger Westley with the New Castle 8th Grade basketball team

1946 - Creger Westley, coach of the New Castle High School Football team

Highland Cemetery New Castle, Garfield County Colorado

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