John Weimer, of Niles

Published 9:28 am Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Jan. 28, 1936 — April 16, 2017

John David Weimer, 81, of Niles, died at 2:15 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017, following an extended illness. He passed away at his home with his daughters at his bedside.

He was born Jan. 28, 1936, in Niles, to Willard Keith and Fern V. (Vanderbeck) Weimer.

As a child, he moved with his family to Oregon, where he graduated from Brownsville High School in 1953. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving three years of active duty as a cook, followed by a year of reserve duty. He was honorably discharged as sergeant first class, and was a veteran of the Korean conflict.

He returned to Oregon and continued his education at Oregon College of Education at Monmouth (now Western Oregon University). In 1960 he returned to Niles, where he worked for Kawneer Corporation, both at the former Niles plant and their Harrisonburg, Virginia, plant. He retired after 25 years. He then retired from the National-Standard Corporation after working there for 12 years.

John attended First Baptist Church in Niles. As a young man he sang bass in the glee club in high school, and worked as a lumberjack. He enjoyed playing volleyball, bowling in area leagues and golfing in the Kawneer league. He continued his interest in athletics as a fan of the women’s varsity teams at the University of Notre Dame and held season tickets for softball, volleyball and basketball. John also enjoyed the fine arts, including theater (especially “Fiddler on the Roof”) and orchestral performances. He was interested in the history of World War II, watching movies with that focus, collecting books and taking a World War II tour of Europe upon his retirement. His greatest interest was his family, always supporting the activities of his children and grandchildren.

On Sept. 23, 1961, at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Niles, he married the former Catharine L. (Kay) McDonald. John and Kay celebrated the 54th wedding anniversary just a month prior to her death on Oct. 22, 2015.

He was also preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Marna Barnes.

Surviving family includes his daughters, Sheila (Brien) Jenkins of Saint Joseph, and Karen Weimer and Maureen (Mark) Hogue, both of Niles; grandchildren Kristin Hogue, Shannon Jenkins, and Dustin Jenkins; John’s brother, Van (Susan) Weimer of Grosse Ile; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family wishes to thank Vanessa, Tasha and Susan from hospice for helping them care for John the past few months.

A funeral service for John Weimer will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, 2017, at Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home in Niles. Committal rites will follow in Calvary Cemetery in Niles, and will conclude with full military honors by the U.S. Army honor guard and American Legion Post 51 of Buchanan.

The family will receive relatives and friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 21, 2017, at the funeral home. Contributions in John’s memory may be made to the Niles High School Band Boosters, c/o Niles High School, 1441 Eagle St., Niles, MI 49120; or to the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan, 641 S. Crystal Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022. halbritterfunerals.com