Bath Navy Veteran and BIW Worker Remembered, Family Urges Memorial Giving

Robert Nicholas Bill Westlake of Bath died peacefully on the evening of Dec. 2, 2025. He was 88. A funeral service was held at St. Marys Catholic Church in Bath on Dec. 15 at noon. The family has asked that contributions be made to the Steven Westlake Memorial Fund at Morse High School in lieu of flowers.

Westlake was born on Nov. 13, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan, to Clarence N. and Jean Helen Szostak Westlake. After graduating from Cathedral Central High School in 1955, he served in the U.S. Navy for four and a half years and was honorably discharged. He went on to a 34 year career at Bath Iron Works, a major local employer that has shaped lives and livelihoods across Sagadahoc County.

On May 25, 1967, he married Judith Ann Losier. The couple raised six children together: Robert Nicholas Westlake Jr., Lori Bush, Steven James Westlake, Kelli Ann Small, Angela Ginger Parks, and Judith Nicole Kuklinski. He retired in 1995 and spent his later years playing golf, volunteering with the Knights of Columbus, and pursuing ham radio as a hobby. He was predeceased by his wife Judie on Aug. 9, 2020, his son Steven Westlake on July 1, 1982, and two sisters Clara Allar and Theresa Ambrose.

Survivors include son Nick Westlake and his companion Julie Randall of Bath, daughters Lori and Christopher Bush of Noonan, Ga., Kelli Small and her companion Fred King of Woolwich, Ginger Parks of Boothbay Harbor, and Judie and Troy Kuklinski of Gurnee, Ill. He is also survived by sisters Joan DAngelo of Birmingham, Mich. and Mary Hackstok of Rochester, Mich., nine grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Westlake’s passing underscores broader community concerns about the health and well being of older adults who spent careers in industrial work and the importance of accessible veteran services, occupational health supports, and bereavement resources for families. His years of volunteer service reflect the social fabric that sustains local civic life. Those wishing to honor his memory are asked to direct donations to the Steven Westlake Memorial Fund at Morse High School.