Chester Townscape honors Barbara Westine with memorial bench

Hundreds of people in Chester remember the remarkable Barbara Westine, whose enthusiasm, energy and positive spirit encouraged and supported so many worthwhile causes.

Westine, who died in April of 2024, was one of the founding members of Chester Townscape and provided dedicated personal and professional support.

Chester Townscape sought to create a lasting memorial to this outstanding citizen. It chose a black, powder-coated ductile iron-and-steel bench in the same style as the one at the Information Booth garden, another of Chester Townscape’s projects.

The town agreed on the bench’s location and provided granite for the base; Scott Wunderle and Rachel Diak of Terrigenous Landscape Architecture contributed the labor for its placement. The bench was donated by Chester Townscape with the generous support of memorial contributions.

A cast-bronze plaque on the bench commemorates that collaboration with this wording, “Given by Chester Townscape and the friends and family of Barbara Westine 2024.”

The position of the bench is significant — beside the Hearse House, whose restoration was completed by Chester Townscape several years ago, and where Westine was so personally involved in caring for its beauty and history.