Dewey Westra

Dewey D. Westra (1899–1979) was an American educator, writer, and musician, deeply devoted to the Christian Reformed Church and its musical heritage. Born in Holland, Michigan, he pursued higher education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids and later at Wayne State University in Detroit. Westra’s professional life was marked by service in Christian education; in the 1920s and 1930s, he served as principal at Christian schools in Byron Center and Detroit, Michigan. During the 1940s, he briefly worked as a diesel instructor for the Ford Motor Company but returned to educational leadership after 1947, guiding schools in Sioux Center, Iowa; Randolph, Wisconsin; and Walker, Michigan.

Westra was a prolific poet, hymnwriter, and translator, composing and arranging music for children’s choirs and translating poetry from Dutch and Frisian into English. His work is particularly notable for the versification of all one hundred and fifty psalms, the Lord’s Prayer, and the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon, carefully matched to the corresponding Genevan psalm tunes. Seventeen of his psalm versifications and his paraphrases of the Lucan canticles were included in the 1934 and 1959 editions of the Psalter Hymnal, securing his place as a central figure in preserving and promoting the Genevan psalm tradition within the Christian Reformed Church.

Westra’s musical compositions and translations reflect his commitment to clarity, doctrinal fidelity, and congregational accessibility, making the psalms and scriptural songs approachable for worshipers of all ages. His manuscripts are preserved in the library of Calvin College, providing a lasting resource for scholars and musicians interested in hymnody and psalmody. Through his lifelong dedication to Christian education and sacred music, Dewey Westra played a pivotal role in sustaining the devotional life and musical culture of his community, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire worship and study.