Richard Weber

Richard Weber passed away unexpectedly on June 26, 2020. Richard is survived by his wife, Juanita Weber; his first wife Hilda Weber; his son Daniel (Erin) Weber; his stepchildren, DeAnne (Theodor) Kolobow, Robert Depew, and Laurie (Michael) Mountjoy; two grandchildren, Jacob and Grace Weber; six step-grandchildren, Teddy, Hannah, Sophia, Joseph, Gabriel, and Kimaya; his sister, Ingrid Killius, her husband, Hans Killius, and their daughter Heidi Killius; and was preceded in death by his step-grandson Kyle Kolobow.

Richard was born on February 7, 1944, in Romania as World War II raged throughout Europe. Once the village where he lived with his parents, Michael and Katharine Weber, was taken under German control, they made their way up to Austria for the remainder of the war. While in Austria, Richard’s sister, Ingrid, was born. The family lived in Austria for a number of years after the war ended, and then immigrated to the United States in 1952.

Richard and his family crossed the Atlantic on a ship and entered the United States in New York City. They eventually settled in Michigan, where Richard’s father worked at Ford Motor Company for several decades to come.

Richard’s family worked hard and over the years were able to achieve a slice of the American dream of every immigrant. They bought a home, owned land and a farm. Richard graduated high school from Adelphian Academy in Holly, Michigan. He then set his sights on college, starting at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI, but soon left when he was drafted into the army in 1968.

Richard served as a medic during Vietnam from January 1969 to April 1970, with several tours on the front lines. Thanks to his friendly disposition and willingness to risk his safety to help those around him, he formed strong friendships with several of his fellow soldiers. Richard was honorably discharged from the military in 1974. He never shared much about what he experienced in Vietnam, but it impacted him for the rest of his life both physically and mentally. He achieved the rank of Sergeant, SP5- Specialist 5th Class.

His primary occupation over the following years was running a group home for individuals suffering from a variety of mental health conditions. Residents would stay at the home as they worked on transition from a hospital or mental health facility back to living more independently.

Richard married Juanita on December 27, 1997 in Damascus, Maryland. For the next twenty-two years, as partners and companions, Richard and Juanita shared the highs and lows, joys and stresses, daily activities and adventures of life.

When not working, travel and vacations with Juanita were experiences that Richard truly enjoyed. His favorite vacation was taking cruises because of the combination of being able to see different places traveling by ship, all the food options, and being able to chat with people from across the country and around the world. A good listener with an engaging personality who certainly was not afraid to strike up a conversation with anyone, Richard was able to bring pleasure and unexpected humor to friends and strangers alike. He loved to settle into the hot tub on board the ship and randomly engage in conversation with anyone who would happen by.

Richard was not the biggest sports enthusiast, but loved playing tennis and ping-pong. Richard had a ping-pong table in his basement in Oxford, MI, where he and Daniel spent hours playing ping-pong together.

Richard and Juanita were members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Oxford, MI, for many years, and a member of the SDA Grasonville Church on Kent Island for several years. During that time, Richard enjoyed being a greeter at the church, where he could say hello to old church friends and welcome new church guests with open arms.

There will be a private service for immediate family held on Sunday, July 12, 2020.

Richard was loved deeply and will be missed greatly.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the "Wounded Warriors Project" at support.woundedwarriorproject.org. Please check the box to "make this a gift in honor or memory of an individual" and farther down the form indicate "In memory of - Richard Weber."