WARREN WESTERBERG

Warren W. Westerberg, of Acworth, GA, age 80, died Tuesday, May 2, 2017.  He was born November 13, 1936 in Crookston, MN, an agricultural town, (pop. 6400 in 1936) in the Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota, son of the late Warren F. and Eleanor (Hoven) Westerberg.

When Warren's father was went into the war his family went to live with “Papa Bill” and granny on their farm.  He was excited to receive letters from his dad from the war, and he was very proud of him. After Warren's father returned home he would have to leave sometimes and he would tell Warren that he was his “little soldier” and would need to be the man of the house.

Warren was smothered in love, and greatly admired Papa Bill.  He remember that they had a kitten named “Mittens”.  Warren would observe the hard work of the farm, trying to help and learn as he could.  Papa Bill was powerfully built for the stresses of farm life.  One time, Warren fell off a horse and broke his arm and he remembered that this strong, stoic, Norwegian grandpa cried as he rushed “Warrenie” to the doctor.

After the war, his father was hired by the Great Northern Railroad in St. Paul.  He would commute on the train between Crookston and St. Paul weekly.  And after some time the family decided they wanted and needed to move to St. Paul. 

A 1943 report card shows that Warren's grades in Art while good, mostly “B's”, he was in the developing stage at that point.  Warrenie liked to make models from kits, directions from the Scout leaders or from one of the “boys' magazines.”

It was quite a change to move from the Scandinavian/German farm town to the more diverse and integrated Twin Cities.  Warren needed to learn to ride the city bus, deal with strangers and learn about the cities.  In High School at St. Paul Central, Warren was in a car club called “The Duellers.”  While it is likely they would sometimes rev up and race their cars, they had a mission to help people in need so they would look to help people with car troubles and flat tires.

When Warren started at the University of Minnesota, his dad rather assumed that Warren would pursue a degree in one of the sciences; i.e. Engineering.  Early on as it turned out, he focused on admittance to the Physical Therapy program.  Somewhere however, during those studies, he found his way to the Art Department and his true passion.  When he took his first ceramics/pottery class he was transfixed and it changed his life.  Warren earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Fine Art from San Jose State University.  He was selected from thousands of applicants to participate in a small group of about 25 students to be mentored by well-known Japanese potter, Shoji Hamada.  It was and amazing honor for him, which his sister, Marilyn, learned to be true when she was visiting Japan and mentioned her brother and his experience with Hamada to the Hostess of the tea ceremony and saw her bow to the ground, go to a back area and came back with a present for Warren.

From Hamada, he learned the concept of ‘Shibui' – that artistic force which is greater than what man alone can create.  The person of shibusa modesty exalts excellence via a thoroughness of taking time to learn, watch, read, understand, develop, think, and merges into understatement and silence concerning oneself.

Warren took his skill and training and taught ceramics and pottery at the University of Iowa.  Back in the Twin Cities, he fulfilled his dream of creating his own studio from which he could create pottery, teach classes and sell some of his work in a small retail area in the front of his shop.  In his 40's he learned more about and engaged in more photography, wood working, carving, finding/collecting/cutting and polishing stones.  He loved music and cared about his equipment and the care of his records (back when we listened to records.)  He was featured in a 1984 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about artists and their homes, where his aesthetic and some artistic philosophies were shared.

Warren was intrigued by shapes and forms, especially loving curves and natural phenomena.  He was known for his attention to detail and perfectionism.  Warren had a tool for nearly any possible task, or would create one, and never backed down from a challenge.  More than once, a friend or loved one might mention a problem or inconvenience and before long Warren had either helped fix it or invented a tool or strategy to do so.

A private graveside service was held for Warren at Oak Hill Cemetery in Neenah, WI.