Tim Webster

Timothy Andrew Webster of Portage passed away November 27, 2017. Tim was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on February 24, 1964, the son of Ralph and Suzanne (Douglas) Webster. Tim loved chess and excelled at the game as a teenager--playing in tournaments, at chess camp, and even through the mail. He delivered the Kalamazoo Gazette, played Runequest, Call of Cthulu, and a variety of other role-playing games, and could often be found in his room, with his stereo blaring and a paperback in his hand. Many of those paperbacks made their way onto his younger brother’s bookshelf. Tim took piano lessons early on, but ultimately gravitated to the guitar, and later, to the ukulele. Tim was also the chief force behind the addition of an “FM converter” to the ’72 Gran Torino station wagon, which, in especially warm weather, he drove while his foot dangled out the window.

He earned a degree from Kalamazoo College, studying computer science and English, and spending a year abroad at Waseda University in Japan. He played in two bands—Short Term Effect and the Angry Young Men—and performed at Quadstock. At one point, he tastefully decorated the trunk of his ’72 Delta 88 with “Anarchy” spelled out in mismatched mailbox letters. His K College classmates from the Class of ’86 have remained among his closest friends.

After college, Tim lived and worked in variety of positions and places: at John Rollins Bookstore in Portage, as a juvenile probation officer in Dane County, Wisconsin, and as an instructor at the University of Chicago. While living on the South Side of Chicago (the baddest part of town), Tim wrote four books on software and raised lizards. Later, as a software engineer and architect, Tim enjoyed working at Biggs Gilmore and contributing to the fight against cancer by working at the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids. Most recently, he was proud to take on the responsibilities of Director of Software Engineering at LevelData in Kalamazoo.

On October 20, 2001, Tim married Christine Polydoris. They welcomed their first son, Ira Cody Webster, on August 9, 2003, and their second son, Elias Jackson Webster, on January 9, 2006. Tim’s felt his greatest pride in his roles as a husband and father. Together, he and the boys played Mr. Toast, read books, raced go karts, and designed elaborate Halloween costumes. Tim kept a running Facebook post of Eli’s artwork, especially his comics, and recently, Tim cheered on Ira as he ran cross country for Portage North Middle School.

Tim also kept up with his childhood passions, and regularly posted his ukulele versions of songs by Big Star and Joy Division. He amassed a remarkable quantity of music of many, many types, many esoteric or challenging. He read endlessly, science fiction in particular, and freely shared his opinions of music, books, and film. Tim enjoyed hosting guests, spending time in the kitchen, at the grill, and behind the bar, mixing drinks. You could safely buy him a bottle of Pimm’s No. 4 and know that it would be consumed and with relish. He drank his wife’s dangerously strong coffee with impunity and, frequently, Reddi-Whip. He drove and deconstructed a variety of cars, including (all-too-briefly) the love of his automotive life, an Audi A6 Alltrac station wagon. He signed holiday cards with his “derp” face.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Webster, and his grandparents, Robert and Marietta “Sally” Douglas and Percy “Pete” and Parnell Webster. He is survived by his wife, Christine (Polydoris) Webster and their boys, Ira and Elias Webster; his mother, Suzanne Webster; and siblings, Thomas (Mary Kate) Webster and Tamara Webster as well as nephews and a niece, aunts, uncles, cousins, a collection of beloved pets, and so many friends.

Tim was a generous, gentle soul who was fierce in his care and protection of his loved ones. Inspired by the effect of donor blood on the final months of his father’s life, he was an organ and tissue donor as well as a dedicated blood donor. The family thanks donors and encourages all who can to honor his spirit and dedication through donation.

Visitation will take place Friday, December 1, from 4 PM until 7 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Home in Kalamazoo. A Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo at 2 PM. A private interment will take place at Yorkville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the family’s college fund.