OSHKOSH, Wis. – Peter Joseph Westort, 74, passed away peacefully on Dec. 31, 2021, in his home in Oshkosh, Wis., in the loving care and companionship of his immediate family. He is remembered as a loving husband, father, brother, friend, and community member, and for his easy, infectious laugh.

Peter was born in Portland, Maine, on July 13, 1947, to Mitchell Westort and Katherine Westort (née Jennings). After attending Sacred Heart Grammar School and Cheverus High School, Peter obtained his undergraduate degree in mathematics at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. A wonderful circle of friends from those years were still among his dearest pals fifty years later. He also served as a medic in the US Army for two years in Germany.

Peter and Mary Ann Offer were married in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in 1976. They raised their family in Gardiner, Maine; Potsdam, N.Y.; and Duxbury, Mass.

While working for the IRS in the early 1970s, Peter earned his MBA at the University of Southern Maine. He became a CPA, then obtained a PhD in Accounting at the University of Oregon. In his early years, Peter taught at Husson College, the University of Southern Maine, and the University of Maine, Augusta. He finished his career at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Throughout his career, he was proud of being known as the “tax man” at the departments where he taught. Peter and Mary Ann enjoyed myriad travel opportunities throughout their 46 years together. Peter savored his role as host-father to many international students, both short and long term, over 37 years. He led university programs to Peru, Germany, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe. A highlight of Peter and Mary Ann’s travel was when Peter taught at Alexandria University in Egypt as a Fulbright Scholar in 2011–2012.

Peter served on the City Council of Gardiner, Maine from 1981 to 1983. He also volunteered as a Boy Scout assistant scoutmaster, and was a board member and treasurer for AFS Intercultural Programs and the Oshkosh Food Co-op. For many years he organized his students to provide low-income tax assistance.

Peter is survived by Mary Ann; their children Bob, Molly, and Tom Offer-Westort; son-in-law Peter Tinti; siblings Mary Casale and Michael Westort; and sister-in-law Joyce Westort.

A celebration of Peter’s life will be scheduled for the late spring or summer in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

For a more extensive obituary, visit Legacy.com.

Donations in Peter’s memory may be made to the:

Oshkosh Food Co-op Fund (https://www.oshkoshareacf.org/fund/oshkosh-food-co-op-fund/) or to AFS-USA, (https://www.afsusa.org/donate/)