Groveland Twp.- On a warm mid-April afternoon, township residents Glen and Kathy Westfall took advantage of the sunshine to sit outside their rural home.
‘It was the first nice spring day we had,? said Kathy, 67.
‘It was such a great day that Glen decided to venture down our long driveway to Brandt Road. Glen uses a chair-walker and just went to the end of the driveway’to rest for a few minutes. I went in to get a glass of water and when I returned’he was gone.?
Kathy hurried down the 200-foot driveway and found Glen, 71, had collapsed into Brandt Road’striking the back of his head on the hard gravel surface.
‘I did not have a cell phone with me,? said Kathy. ‘Glen was laying there partially in the road at the bottom of a hill. If someone came along fast they’d hit him, but I just could not move him.?
Township resident Noah DeVoe, 16, a Brandon High School junior, along with John Voodre, 17, a Brandon Township resident, were traveling on Brandt Road when the pair saw the Westfalls in the road.
‘I could see Mr. Westfall had fallen over onto the road,? said Noah, a neighbor of the Westfalls.
‘I pulled my van over to the side of the road and stopped, I could see he had fallen backward and hit his head really hard. I did not want to move him, but Mrs. Westfall suggested it was better than just leaving him in the road. He was half conscious, but as time went by he regained a little more’it was a very stressful situation.?
The youth helped the semi-conscious Glen from the roadway, dialed 9-1-1 and stayed with Kathy until EMS could arrive.
‘The boys never got excited’they were so calm,? said Kathy.
‘I could hear the sirens in the distance, the two were very thoughtful. Their folks should be very proud of them, they’re very well-mannered.?
Glen was taken to Genesys Regional Medical Center where it was later learned he suffered a stroke after the fall. He is currently recovering and undergoing rehabilitation.
The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June.
The township board recognized the boys at their Monday night meeting.