In Memoriam

Festus O. Webley

Earlier this month, Festus O. Webley, retired DPSS manager, passed away.  He was just a couple of weeks away from celebrating his 90^th birthday. A funeral service was held on March 7 at the Crestlawn Mortuary and Memorial Park in Riverside, California.  (image at right: Festus Webley and his wife Tena Nelson)

Mr. Webley had a lengthy career with DPSS. During his tenure, he led the effort to create the Greater Avenues for Independence Program (GAIN) which was part of Welfare Reform.  As part of that program, Mr. Webley directed the development of an entire curriculum for a new segment of the department’s workforce.  His skills in this area were quickly recognized and, through his leadership, Mr. Webley was instrumental in developing a dedicated staff development unit to support all staff within DPSS and served as its manager for more than 20 years. Mr. Webley had a strong passion for social work and was very dedicated to supporting the development of social workers.

Mr. Webley was married to Tena Nelson, a member of the DPSS staff, who also worked in operations and the staff development division and has been a strong advocate for developing staff through training and education. Even after retiring from DPSS, they continued to support the department by coaching and mentoring managers and supporting students completing their MSW or MFT programs.

In recognition of his long-standing commitment to the education and development of social work staff in Riverside County, a letter was recently submitted to support a nomination Mr. Webley to the California Social Work Hall of Distinction.

Mr. Webley has been influential to many people in the department and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tena and the entire family.