Lawrence "Larry" Carlyle Westdal, Jr.

Lawrence Carlyle Westdal Jr. — “Larry” or “Duck” — was born on March 17, 1946, and passed away on September 18, 2015, at his home in Orinda, California, surrounded by family. He was 69. A fine artist and lifelong outdoorsman, Larry approached life with creativity, curiosity, and an unwavering sense of integrity.

He was the eldest of Larry Sr. and Betty Westdal’s four children and was raised in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Larry received his B.A. in Lithography and Printing from California College of the Arts, where he was the first student to graduate with highest distinction in both Lithography and Painting. He later earned his M.F.A. from UC Berkeley, where he won the prestigious Eisner Prize for Painting.

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 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.

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, and one of his designs for Peet’s Coffee is on display at the Smithsonian.

Larry loved listening to eclectic genres of music and played classical guitar daily. He also enjoyed reading poetry, winemaking, and cooking for his family. A man of many talents, he 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 also developed a love of motorcycles, riding all over Northern California, the Oregon Coast, and Baja California.

An avid outdoorsman, Larry loved backpacking, abalone diving, fly fishing, biking, canoeing, and anything else that would get him out into nature. For more than 30 years, he and a group of friends known as the Mountain Men went backpacking in the High Sierras.

Larry’s love of fishing became another outlet for his creativity. When he needed a boat to fish from, he hand-crafted a wooden canoe, and 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 one of his great joys.

With his grandchildren—Wren, Cooper, Weston, and Calder, who all called him “Yano”—he enjoyed time spent barbecuing, planting tomatoes, and playing music together. He also loved reading the Sunday comics with his grandchildren, a simple ritual that became a cherished memory.

Larry is survived by his wife of 37 years, Jamie; his children, Nils (Sara), Claire (Brooks), and Lauren (Jake); his grandchildren, Wren, Cooper, Weston, and Calder; and his step-granddaughter, Eden. His granddaughter Arden was born in 2016 after his passing.

Duck will be sorely missed by all who knew him.