Obituary: Edward Standish Westbrook III

Edward “Ed” Standish Westbrook III passed away on September 2, 2025, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Ed was born to Edward S. Westbrook II and Anita Reichman Westbrook

He was of a fourth-generation family that pioneered Scott Valley.

Ed loved hiking, packing, fishing, hunting, shooting, water skiing, snow skiing, working with wood, reloading, building electronics, HAM Radio and driving his log truck. Most of all he loved his family dearly.

He cherished the mountains surrounding Scott Valley, he hiked or packed into most of the lakes in the Marbles, Russians and Trinity Alps.

When Ed was 11, he lost his father and baby sister. His Mother, deeply stricken with grief, moved to Vacaville, CA. He then was sent to live with various family members and eventually went to live in Vallejo, Ca with his Uncle Dr. Carl Reichman. He often spent time alone and would visit the neighbor gentleman who was a Ham Radio operator. Ed grew an interest in Ham Radio. He worked hard on mastering morse code and was able to take the test to receive his Ham Radio license at 12 years old. Ed also developed a love of building radios. Around this same time, he contracted Scarlet Fever and lost most of his hearing, but he taught himself to read lips. During these formative years, he also met his lifelong best friend, Ron Daniels. Together, Ed and Ron explored shared interests-Ham Radio and model airplanes in their youth and later, fast cars, boats, water skiing, snow skiing and of course, HAM radio.

Ed would often come home to Scott Valley and spend time with his Grandparents, Gus and Susan Reichman. Spending summers at the Cherry Hill Cabin and working the mines with his grandfather. Learning a strong work ethic from his grandfather he also helped with family businesses in Fort Jones. While in town he also ran around with his buddy, Bill Fowler, and hunted the hills behind Fort Jones hiked into lakes to go fishing and a few other shenanigans.

Ed attended Vallejo High School where he excelled in Marksmanship and Swim Team, receiving offers from several colleges for his talents. After graduating in 1957. He moved to Sacramento for college to study electronics. He worked at a gas station, where he also learned mechanics and discovered a passion for Alfa Romeos. Before long he was racing his own “Bug-eye” Alfa Romeo at Laguna Seca and Sonoma Raceway. Around this time, he also served with the Army Reserve, where his Microwave Radio skills often took him into the California desert.

One evening, while working at the gas station, Ed met Camelia Muehlberg, a blond, blue-eyed girl driving her ’57 Chevy. They soon began dating and a month after Camelia graduated High School they were married on July 11, 1959. Their daughter, Christine, was born the next year in 1960 and 11 months later their son, Eddy. While still in college, Ed was offered a position with IBM–a common path for technicians and engineers of that time. He accepted the job, which drew him away from completing his degree. Eventually, however, Ed left IBM to avoid relocation out of state, instead he started his own heavy equipment hauling business.

In 1964, encouraged by his cousin Jane Booth, Ed accepted a position as Microwave Radio Technician with Siskiyou Telephone. He and Cam purchased a home with pasture in Quartz Valley where Cam could have her horses and his children went to Quartz Valley school, a one room schoolhouse at the time. Their neighbors, The McIntires, became great family friends. When the horses needed shoeing he hired a Farrier once, watched closely. After, he bought the tools and did it himself from that day forward. At Siskiyou Telephone he developed deep friendships with Jack Stacher and Mike Marlahan. The 3 of them became lifelong hunting and fishing buddies and the Stachers kids and his kids became lifelong friends. The two families share memories of hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, times spent at the Shasta Lake Cabin and waterskiing on Trinity Lake. Camelia and Nancy Stacher traveled and sang choir with The Sweet Adeline’s.

After working for Siskiyou Telephone for a few years, Ed got the itch and sought to learn and do more with his career in communications. He took a job in San Jose with Badger Communications and moved the family to Saratoga where Christine and little Ed went to High school. At Badger, Ed developed the testing equipment that tested metallic telephone cables.

In 1978 following the passing of his mother, Anita, and with his children preparing to graduate in 1979, Ed and Cam decided to return home to Scott Valley. They purchased property in Fort Jones, where Ed built their dream home along with Glen & Neil Whipple, Son-in-law, Barry and his son Ed, when Ed was home from college. After the house was completed, Ed’s work interests came full circle when he bought a log truck and hauled logs for several logging outfits. He enjoyed driving and having friendships with many great people in the logging business, including Jim Johnson. During the off-season Ed and Cam traveled. When home Ed kept busy with Ham Radio, building electronics and when computers were coming into homes, he built his own first computer. In 1983 He was among the few HAMs to make contact with the Columbia Space Shuttle during the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX). He received a certificate from NASA with the president’s signature, which proudly hung on the wall in his radio room.

After Camelia passed away in 2015, Ed sold the log truck and eventually sold the home they had built together. A few years later, through his friend Jim, Jim’s mother, Cathy Johnson, invited Ed over for coffee. What began as a simple invitation blossomed into a deep love. Surrounded by their families, Ed and Cathy were married in 2020. They settled into Cathy’s home and the two of them enjoyed the many Johnson family gatherings and celebrations.

Ed was adventurous, self-taught in many disciplines and possessed a brilliant technical mind. An avid reader and lifelong researcher, he shared his knowledge generously. He was down-to-earth, kind and giving, and always a gentleman. His big warm smile and even bigger laugh will be deeply missed.

Ed was proceeded in death by his parents, Edward S. Westbrook II and Anita Reichman Westbrook, his sister Susan Jane Westbrook and his wife Camelia Muehlberg Westbrook.

He leaves his wife Cathy Johnson Westbrook, Daughter Christine (Barry) Westbrook Filippone, Son Edward (Catherine) S. Westbrook IV. Grandchildren; Adam (Kelly) Filippone, Glen O. Filippone. Michelle (Chad) Westbrook Hinds and Nicole (Michael) McGaughey. Great-Grandchildren; Mason Owen Filippone, Allyson Christine Filippone, Ari Alan Filippone, Ira Maxwell Filippone, Amelie Mauve Westbrook Hinds, Rory Olivier Westbrook Hinds and Adrien Theo McGaughey. He also leaves the whole Johnson Family whom he loved very much.

A celebration for Ed’s life will be held at a later date.