Westphal, Arthur Leroy (1889–1983)
By Eugenio Di Dionisio
Eugenio Di Dionisio
First Published: January 29, 2020
Arthur Leroy Westphal was a pastor, denominational administrator, and missionary in Argentina, the Inca Union Mission, Paraguay, Brazil, and the United States.
Early Years and Family
Arthur Westphal was born at East Doty Avenue, Neenah, Wisconsin, United States, in the home of his maternal grandparents, on January 26, 1889. When he was 12 years old, he went to Argentina with his father, pastor William Westphal (1861-1949), and did not come back to the United States for 36 years. He studied at River Plate Academy, Entre Ríos, Argentina, where he concluded his studies on November 15, 1909.1
Arthur's parents were pastor Joseph William Westphal and Allie Robinson, a church school teacher. They married in December 1885 and had two daughters: Florence (Flora) Lilian (1886-1921) and Myrtle (1887-1888), and a son: Arthur Leroy. Joseph’s first wife, Allie, got typhoid fever and passed away in Kansas on October 10, 1895. In Topeka, Kansas, Joseph met Jennie Peckover and they married in May 1898.2 While living in Argentina in a building near the current River Plate Adventist University, Jennie gave birth to: Oliva Roberta (1902-1974), Enrique Joseph (1903-1983), Heriberto Melvin (1905-2007) and Chester Eduardo (1907-2002).3
Arthur Leroy Westphal married María Lust (1889-1978) on February 23, 1910. María, born in Camarero (current Libertador San Martín), Entre Ríos, Argentina, was the daughter of Jorge Lust (1856-1929) and Amalia Gross' (1863-1899). It was Jorge who donated the first land for the current River Plate Adventist University,
From Arthur and Maria's union the three older children: Alicia, Eduardo and Nellie were born in Puiggari, the current Libertador San Martín, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina. The other children were born in Brazil: Genoveva, in São Paulo; Alviria and José Guillermo, in Curitiba; and Benjamin, in Ponta Grossa.
International Ministry
Arthur served as River Plate Sanitarium's treasurer, from November 15, 1909 to December 1913. He was the first secretary-treasurer of the Incaica Union (the church territory that included Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru) from January 1914 to April 1916. Then he joined the evangelism team led by Pastor George Casebeer, in the city of Paraná, capital of Entre Ríos, Argentina, from May 1916 to February 1917.4 Later he served in the city of Asunción, capital of Paraguay Republic.5
He arrived at the port of Santos, Brazil, on February 12, 1918. He was a church pastor, evangelist, and president of missions and conferences until July 1940.6 His pastoral ordination was on January 26, 1924.7
When he returned to the United States, he ministered in the Portuguese-speaking churches in the New England Conference until August 1945.8 Next, he was a pastor at the Spanish church in Tucson, in the Arizona Conference, until March 1953. Later he lived in Modesto, California.
He died on July 17, 1983, in Loma Linda, California, after 94 years of a fruitful life.
Sources
Archivo de Registros de Servicios de la Asociación General [General Conference Service Records Archive], Arhur Leroy Westphal, March 1953.
Associação Catarinense. 100 anos de fé pionerismo e missão [Santa Catarina Conference: 100 years of Faith, pioneering and mission]. Tatui, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006.
Brown, J. L. “Rio Grande and Pelotas.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 11, Nº 8, August 1935.
Burgo, J. T. “Cover-Ponta Grossa, Brazil, Church.” The Ministry, Vol. 29, Nº 9, September 1956.
“Deaths” (Arthur Leroy Westphal). ARH, Vol. 160, Nº 44, November 3, 1983.
Montgomery, Oliver. “La decimoséptima Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina” [The seventeenth Annual Meeting of the Argentine Conference]. La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], year 16, Nº 12, December 1916.
“News Recruits.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 1, Nº 1, November 1925.
Nielsen, N. P. “The Movement Moves.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 17, Nº 6, June 1941.
Snow, T. B. “Obituary Notices.” ARH, vol. 72, nº 46, November 12, 1895.
Thomann, A. E. The Federick Westphal - Tribe Tabulation, vol. 3, nº 2 (1962), 3:102-109.
Westphal, Arthur Leroy. “Arthur Leroy Westphal.” Unpublished autobiographical document belonging to the author's personal file. August 13, 1968.
Westphal, Arthur Leroy. “Progress in Ponta Grossa.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 5, Nº 1, January 1929.
Westphal, Arthur Leroy. “West Minas Geraes Mission.” ARH, Vol. 97, Nº 41, October 7, 1920.
Westphal, Edward A. “Arthur Leroy Westphal-A Biographical Sketch.” Unpublished autobiographical document belonging to the author's personal file. January 1992.
“What Goes on.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 16, Nº 9, September 1940.
Williams, W. W. “A Trip among the Paraguay Indians.” South American Bulletin, Vol. 5, Nº 5, May 1929.
Notes
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“Deaths” (Arthur Leroy Westphal), ARH, Vol. 160, Nº 44, November 3, 1983, 29. Arthur Leroy Westphal, “Arthur Leroy Westphal” (unpublished autobiographical document belonging to the author's personal file, written in August 13, 1968). Edward A. Westphal, “Arthur Leroy Westphal-A Biographical Sketch” (unpublished, written by Dr. E. A. Westphal, A. L. Westphal's son, belonging to the author's personal file, written in January 1992). Archivo de Registros de Servicios de la Asociación General [General Conference Service Records Archive], Arthur Leroy Westphal, March 1953.↩
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H. Westphal, J. W. Westphal (s.l.: Westphal, January 1953), 2-3; T. B. Snow, “Obituary Notices,” ARH, vol. 72, nº 46, November 12, 1895, 735.↩
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Flora married pastor Eduardo Thomann, with whom she worked in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. Oliva was a teacher at the Adventist School of Plata and several other Adventist schools in the United States. Enrique was a pastor in Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, Interamerican Division and the United States. He married Bárbara Osborne. Heriberto was a doctor in the United States and, when retired, he continued to work in different Adventist hospitals in Africa for many years. His wife was Amy Reed. Chester was a pastor in Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States. His wife was Wilma Ross. A. E. Thomann, The Federick Westphal - Tribe Tabulation, vol. 3, nº 2, 1962, 3:102-109.↩
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Oliver Montgomery, “La decimoséptima Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina” [The seventeenth Annual Meeting of the Argentina Conference], La Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], year 16, Nº 12, December 1916, 9.↩
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W. W. Williams, “A Trip among the Paraguay Indians,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 5, Nº 5, May 1929, 5, 6.↩
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A. L. Westphal, “West Minas Geraes Mission,” ARH, Vol. 97, Nº 41, October 7, 1920, 8. “News Recruits,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 1, Nº 1, November 1925, 8. Information on the baptism performed in Curitiba, state of Paraná, Brazil. A. L. Westphal, “Progress in Ponta Grossa,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 5, Nº 1, January 1929, 5. J. T. Burgo, “Cover-Ponta Grossa, Brazil, Church,” The Ministry, Vol. 29, Nº 9, September 1956, 3. Associação Catarinense, 100 anos de fé pionerismo e missão [Santa Catarina Conference: 100 years of Faith, pioneering and mission] (Tatui, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 30. J. L. Brown, “Rio Grande and Pelotas,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 11, Nº 8, August 1935, 7, 8. A. L. Westphal president of Parana Mission, Santa Catarina. N. P. Nielsen, “The Movement Moves,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 17, Nº 6, June 1941, 1. A. L. Westphal president of Río Grande de Sul Conference and moved to the United States to help the Portuguese-speaking people.↩
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C. P. Crager. Ordination. Name Arthur L. Westphal. Field West Minas Mission. Date January 26, 1924. Signed by M. E. Kern, N. P. Nielsen. Nº 27.↩
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“What Goes on,” South American Bulletin, Vol. 16, Nº 9, September 1940, 7.↩