Lawrence Carlyle Westdal Jr.

Lawrence Carlyle Westdal Jr. — “Larry” or “Duck” — was born on March 17, 1946, and passed away on Friday, September 18, 2015, in his home surrounded by family. He was the eldest of Larry Sr. and Betty Westdal’s four children, raised in Bloomington, Minnesota. He received his B.A. from California College of the Arts, where he was the first ever to graduate with highest distinction in both Lithography and Painting. He then followed with an M.F.A. from UC Berkeley, where he won the prestigious Eisner Prize for Painting.

In 1975 he met Jamie Belvedere, and two years later they were married. Jamie and Larry enjoyed hiking, canoeing, and throwing lots of great parties together.

During his early career, Larry was an artist and teacher at UC Berkeley. He won several exhibition awards, and one of his paintings from this period is installed in the Oakland Museum of California’s permanent collection.

In 1980 Larry founded Westdal Design, the graphic design firm behind some of the Bay Area’s most iconic brands, including Peet’s Coffee and Tea and Folkmanis Puppets. His artistic talent and creativity were widely recognized through his work. One of his designs for Peet’s Coffee is on display at the Smithsonian.

Larry had three children: Nils, Claire, and Lauren. His five grandkids affectionately referred to him as “Yano.” One of Yano’s last wishes was to take his son Nils and granddaughter Wren to the Minnesota State Fair, which he accomplished a week before he passed. He saw his grandsons regularly, always making time to teach such Renaissance skills as barbecuing, planting tomatoes, and jamming on the guitar. His eldest grandson, Cooper, particularly enjoyed having Yano read him the Sunday comics.

An avid outdoorsman, Larry loved backpacking, abalone diving, fly fishing, biking, canoeing, and anything else that would get him out into nature. For over 30 years, he and a group of friends known as “The Mountain Men” went trekking annually in the High Sierras. His love of fishing provided an additional outlet for his artistic nature. When he needed a boat to fish from, he hand-crafted a wooden canoe. His hand-tied flies were a labor of love. Sharing the beauty of the Sacramento River Delta with family and friends from his boat, Size Matters, was a joy.

Larry loved listening to eclectic genres of music, playing classical guitar, reading poetry, winemaking, and cooking for his family. A man of so many talents, Larry could tackle a 40-mile bicycle ride on a whim or pedal the steep terrain of the Berkeley Hills as part of a daily commute. He developed a love of motorcycles, riding all over Northern California, the Oregon Coast, and Baja California.

Duck will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

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