Mr. Clifford "Cliff" A. Weber

Cliff was a faithful husband, first to Mary for 28 years until death parted them and then to Diane for 26 years. He was a devoted father to four children and also fully embraced his four grown stepchildren and their children as his own.

Cliff was born to Harry and Elsie Weber and grew up in Amityville, NY. At the age of fifteen he marked a lifetime turning point while at Camp of the Woods in upstate New York. That week he first understood the basics of Christianity and put his trust in Jesus as his Savior. At the end of that week, he learned there was another monumental change—his father had suddenly died. Soon afterwards, he and his mother moved to Fort Lauderdale. Cliff always cherished high school memories in Florida and then his education at Wheaton College in Illinois where he received a bachelor's degree in math and a masters in New Testament Theology.

Cliff met Mary Rose Fisher at Wheaton and they married soon after his graduation. He served as an officer in the military intelligence branch of the U.S. Army, where he was based in Fort Bragg, NC, and deployed to the Dominican Republic. After his military duty, Cliff began his career as a high school math teacher, teaching at Reid Ross High School in Fayetteville, NC, and at Broughton and Sanderson high schools in Raleigh, NC, where he and Mary raised their four children. Cliff and Mary were both passionate about teaching, served diligently in youth ministry, and were a foundational part of a church in Raleigh called Falls Bible Chapel (now North Ridge Bible Chapel). Cliff was an elder there and often preached, led music, and provided piano and organ accompaniment for the congregation.

Thousands of students remember Mr. Weber as their enthusiastic and meticulous math teacher. His favorite classes to teach were Calculus, Advanced Math, and Geometry. For years his sons’ soccer teammates knew Coach Weber as creative, fair, and strategic. And hundreds more knew him for his sound exposition of Scripture in many Sunday sermons and Bible studies.

At home, Cliff filled dinner table conversations with puns, riddles, and endless wordplay. He encouraged his children in pursuits that God had uniquely given them, and he led by example in his many interests such as piano, violin, singing, and carpentry. He instilled in all of them a high value of studying the Bible and of following New Testament church principles. They each credit his wise discipline and counsel for steering them on a strong course for their lives.

Cliff lost his wife Mary to cancer in 1992, a year after their youngest graduated from high school. A few years later, his kids introduced him to Diane, a widow with four grown children of her own. They married in 1994 and were known for sharing their home with many people wherever they lived.

After Cliff retired from teaching, he and Diane served for several years with a Bible correspondence course ministry for prisoners. The magnetic pull back to Florida was strong, and within a few years they moved to Satellite Beach. Cliff again became a leader at Bethany Chapel by the Sea and also served on the board of Park of the Palms—a retirement community in Keystone Heights, FL, where they would eventually move. At the same time, he and Diane spent much extended time with their families, mostly located in the Midwest, and in fellowship at Warrenville Bible Chapel in Illinois.

In 2008, Cliff began a journey punctuated by many difficult medical challenges starting with a diagnosis of laryngeal cancer and surgical removal of most of his vocal cords. Over the last decade, with every new challenge, Cliff refocused his energy toward abilities that remained. Though he lost his voice, as an accomplished pianist he continued glorifying God by playing hymns and classical pieces in church services and concerts. And while in time he could no longer preach, he could line up speakers to come in and preach, and he continued to serve as an elder. Always enjoying the challenge of math calculations, Cliff volunteered with H&R Block to help many local residents with tax preparation. He will be deeply missed not only by his wife Diane and their kids and grandkids, but by so many who were in some way impacted by his life.

Over the years he shared with many how eager he was to praise God with a full voice in eternity, and upon learning from the doctor that his time here on earth was rapidly coming to an end, he looked at Diane and whispered, “I’m excited to see my Savior.”

He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Diane Ruby Richards Weber; his children, Karen (Kevin) Schleicher of Warrenville, IL, David (Lesley) Weber of St. Louis, Missouri, Elizabeth (David) Daghfal of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and John (Suzie) Weber of Wheaton, IL; and step-children, Paige (Jonathan) Squirrell of Norwich, England, Mark (Chloe) Richards of Wheaton, IL, Dale (Althea) Richards of St. Charles, IL, and Ruth (Jeff) Davis of Winfield, IL. Together, Cliff and Diane were proud of their 27 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His first wife, Mary Rose Fisher Weber, predeceased him in 1992.

A simple memorial service was held for Park of the Palms residents at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. Cliff was interred beside his first wife at Raleigh Memorial Park in North Carolina on Friday, December 4, at 11 a.m.

A Memorial Service was held on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at 10 a.m. Central Time at Warrenville Bible Chapel, 4S157 Curtis Ave, Warrenville, IL. Everyone was invited to attend virtually as well through Zoom.

Hyperlinks to videos of both services are posted for viewing - within the Donations section.

In lieu of flowers, these are ministries that the family would love to be supported:

Milk and Honey Ministries, in support of the teaching ministry of Cliff’s granddaughter in Lebanon

(Milk and Honey Ministries, 5500 E 45th St N, Bel Aire, KS 67220, memo: Lydia Daghfal)

Park of the Palms Church Missionary Guest Apartments, a home for missionaries on furlough

(Park of the Palms Church, 753 Hebron Ave., Keystone Heights, FL 32656)

Q Place, a ministry that equips Christians to start groups where everyone can process what they believe and come to know God as revealed in the Bible.

Emmaus Worldwide, providing correspondence courses for prison ministry.