Ivan "Sonny" Leon Westbrook, Jr., 60, died peacefully at this home Monday morning, November 10, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Born June 27, 1965 in Newark, Ohio, he was a son of Lea M. (Wells) and the late Ivan L. Westbrook, Sr. A 1983 graduate of Licking Valley High School, Sonny grew up on the family farm, where he discovered his lifelong passion for fixing engines and repairing machinery. He worked at Hanover Farmers Exchange, his family's feed mill as well as Hanover's Bowerston Shale. In later years, Sonny transitioned into the tech industry, where he continued to put his mechanical mind to work as a repair specialist at Momentive Technologies.

Sonny had a natural talent for bringing things, and people, together. He restored a classic '59 Ford pickup truck and loved participating in all kinds of motorsports, from quad racing and garden tractor pulls to truck pulls. Yet, what he took the most pride in wasn't the machines he built, but the home and family he built around him.

A gracious and loving host, Sonny opened his property for countless gatherings, including family reunions and even several weddings. He took great joy in sharing the land he cared for so deeply, inviting friends and family to fish at the pond he maintained and stocked himself. Some of his happiest moments were spent giving his grandchildren tractor and buggy rides around the property, their laughter echoing across the fields he loved.

Surviving is his loving wife of 42 years, Shawna R. (Acord) Westbrook of Hanover whom he married September 3, 1983; mother, Lea M. (Wells) Westbrook; son, Jason Allen (Adrianne) Westbrook of Hanover; daughter, Lauren (Travis) Kniffin of Apex, North Carolina; four grandchildren, Natalie, Mikayla, Carter, and Nora; two brothers, David (Nicki) Westbrook and Brad (Tosha) Westbrook both of Nashport; eight special nieces and nephews, Danielle, Emily, Ben, Devin, Derek, Dylan, Luke, Lydia and his beloved beagle, Sally.

Sonny was preceded in death by his father, Ivan Leon Westbrook, Sr.

A private funeral service will take place, and Sonny will be laid to rest in Hanover Cemetery.

Friends and family will have a chance to attend a Celebration of Life service for Sonny in June of 2026.