Faces in the Crowd: Joann Westfield

Quilting.
Helping.
Those two words pretty much describe Joann Westfield.
The daughter of Ruthann Pollington and Dale Orvis, Joann lost her dad to cancer when she was 16. Fortunately for her, she had a pretty good role model in her mom to keep her going.
Joann developed a love for quilting at an early age: Her Grandma Orvis was a seamstress; Her Grandma Miller made quilts; and her mom was a seamstress and a quilter. Joann is still quilting all the time, her home – the beautiful white house with the red roof just west of town – is filled with quilts and fabric, much of which was passed down from her mom. She loves quilting. It keeps her grounded.
And she loves helping people. As a trustee with the Marion Eagles F.O.E. 4087, Joann helps organize and run fundraising events to support local organizations and people. “People Helping People” is the motto at the Eagles, and it’s a motto she believes in.
We caught up with Joann recently, and we learned a little bit about her life, her family, and her passion for quilting. We learned that Joann Westfield is certainly more than another face in the crowd.
Marion Press: Where were you born and raised?
Joann: I was born here, in Cadillac. I grew up all over – my dad worked for Consumers – and my mom and dad [Ruthann Pollington and Dale Orvis] both grew up here and went to Marion High School. I lived in Marion until I was probably 4, I think. And then we moved to Zeeland, and then we moved to Jackson, and then we moved back to Holland… My dad worked for Consumers and got transferred around, so that’s why we moved around. My dad passed away when I was 16. My mom met Claude [Pollington] and so she moved back up here. I was a senior in high school, and we were living in Holland when she moved up here to get married. So I stayed there and finished school. I graduated in 1980.
MP: Did you have a big family? What kept you busy growing up?
Joann: 2 brothers, we came up here a lot on the weekends. We went to my Grandma and Grandpa Orvis’s on M-66, and my Grandma and Grandpa Miller’s – they lived out on Kirby, out that way.
[I stayed busy] Just being a kid. Being outdoors; we lived outdoors – still do. We did a lot of camping, coming up here and playing with my cousins – we had a lot of cousins up here.
MP: After high school, where did life take you?
Joann: I got married, and then we moved up here and we rented a house [in Marion] and then we bought a house in McBain. We lived there until my daughter was 3, and then we moved back down to Zeeland. Back and forth my whole life, now I’m here to stay! Finally… this is home.
MP: What’s kept you busy over the years? Jobs, hobbies…
Joann: I worked for a big company, Herman Miller, office furniture down in Zeeland. Worked my way up there. Did a little bit of everything there: I started out cleaning, worked in production, and shipping; worked in the offices. I worked at the Buck Pole in the archery shop for a few years, when that was here. Then I moved back down state again – I didn’t want to, but I did. And I’ve always been into sewing. My mom was big into quilts.
MP: Tell us about that. How’d you get into sewing?
Joann: My Grandma Orvis would send me little care packages of lace and fabric. I was getting those when I was about 8 or 9 years old, so I would start hand-sewing for my barbies, making little outfits and things. Made a quilt my senior year in high school.
MP: What do you enjoy the most about quilting?
Joann: Quilting, it just grounds me. I need my quilting. My Grandma Orvis was a seamstress; my Grandma Miller made quilts; my mom was a seamstress and a quilter. I made clothes, but I would not say that I’m a seamstress – I needed help from mom! I still quilt. Mom and I would go to two quilt retreats every year. We’d go up to Caberfae Peaks with a group of women and we’d just sew all the time, morning to night.
MP: Tell us about your family; kids, grandkids?
Joann: I have 2 kids, Katie and Russ, and I have 5 grandkids; My husband Mike, he’s got two kids, Megan and Cody, and he has 5 grandkids – so we have 10! They keep us busy. They live [down state] but we go down there to visit, and they’ll come up here to visit us.
MP: You also play a big role as a trustee with the Eagles. How’d you get involved there?
Joann: My brother was working there, and that’s how I got to know the Eagles. When we moved up here, my husband didn’t know many people. So I said, let’s go down there, and you can meet some people. That’s really how it started. Then I just started helping do things. And to me, the club meant “People Helping People.” It’s about helping the community.
We started fundraising for the Marion High School Scholarship Fund. We had a triathlon – there was a group of us, none of this I did on my own! My friends Beth Leary, Tammy Hamilton, Becky McDermott – she was the secretary at the time. We did a bean bag toss, euchre tournament, and we had bingo. We raised close to $5,000 doing that. We did the trunk or treat for Halloween, and we won first place for that. We did a hats and mittens drive for the elementary school.
MP: The Eagles do a lot of good things, and it seems like there’s always something – what’s coming up for the Eagles?
Joann: Old Fashioned Days, we’ll be open to the public 2 days. We have a band coming in for that. July 15th, we’re having a barbeque cookoff, that’s open to the public. We’re going to have a few things going on during that – we’ll have a DJ there, and bean bag toss and stuff like that. Then August 16th, we’re having Bike Night, so we’ll have all the Harleys and the radio station will be there. We’re also having a golf tournament in August, and that’s going to be for raising money for the scholarship fund.
MP: What do you enjoy the most about being a part of the Eagles?
Joann: Spending time with people. Talking with them, fundraising, organizing the events. I like doing all that, getting people involved.
MP: What brought you back to Marion? What do you enjoy the most about being here?
Joann: It’s just always been home. Since I was a young kid. My cousins all grew up here, and I didn’t get to grow up here. Which was fine – I’ve had a good life – but I love family, and being a part of it. Even though my kids live down state, I’ve been trying to get them up here!
It’s so laid back; it’s so different. People are nice, and they’ll talk to you. For the most part, I think. It’s just so fast paced down there, my foot was always on the gas, and I don’t have to do that here. You can have time to enjoy your life.
MP: When you’re not quilting or spending time with the Eagles, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Joann: Kayaking, camping, outdoors stuff. Swimming – I love to be in my pool. We love being outdoors.
MP: Who have been your role models in life?
Joann: My mom, my grandmas. My mom loved no matter what. Didn’t matter what happened in life, she still loved. She wasn’t into the gossip stuff; she never got into that. That’s just not the way to go. She was just a good person, and I try to be a good person.