The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Uzahne Colglazier Westneat, 96, passed away January 10 at her home in Vienna, Virginia.
Uzahne was born on March 17, 1922, in Bedford, Indiana, to George and Eva (Hall) Colglazier. She was the eldest of six children and was raised on the Stumphole Road family farm. Upon graduation from Mitchell High School, she received a full scholarship to Purdue University, where she studied horticulture.
On October 24, 1942, she married Arthur S. Westneat, Jr., to whom she was wed for 46 years. During those years, she lived in Baltimore, Maryland; Princeton, New Jersey; Middletown, Rhode Island; and Lee, New Hampshire. In her later years, she resided with her son in Virginia.
In Franklin Township, Uzahne was very active in the Parent Teacher Association, which she served as President. She was a 4-H Club leader and a principal mover in local library and historical society developments. With her husband, she was continuously involved in Board of Education and Township Council campaigns. In Griggstown, she managed a small farm, helping her children raise a barnyard full of sheep, chickens, cats, a dog and a horse.
In 1965, she moved to Middletown, Rhode Island, where she was active in the League of Women Voters and the Raytheon Book Club.
In 1978, she retired to her house in the woods in Lee, New Hampshire. From then on, she was an avid genealogist and a keen supporter of Beck’s Mill and the Lawrence County Museum of History. She was happiest helping organize the many family reunions which brought her back home to Fort Ritner, Bedford, Mitchell, and Williams.
Four children survive her: Cynthia Merrill, Arthur Westneat III, Clark Westneat, and Elizabeth Hoffman. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Two brothers predeceased her: Norman and James Colglazier. She is survived by her sister, Janet Hewlett; two brothers, Lee and Daniel Colglazier, and their families.
A memorial service will be held in late March in Virginia and she will rest in Westview Cemetery, Hudson, New Hampshire.
Uzahne was a gentle and caring soul who is missed by her family and friends. In honor of her memory and those she touched through her genealogy research, we ask that donations be made to the Lawrence County Museum of History, 929 15th Street, Bedford, Indiana 47421.
