In Rememberance of Dennis G. Weber
On October 25, 2005 my father, Dennis Weber, passed away.
There’s not much more to say other than what was said in obituaties that were created by my sister, my brother and I. I will post them below . . .
My Father DennisTo some, he was known as “Denny.” To others, he was known as “Dennis the Menace” (in a nice way). He was not large in stature, but behind his piercing blue eyes, he was larger than life. After getting to know him, you would also get to know that a great deal was going on behind those beautiful eyes of his. Yes, he was a prankster and a master instigator; but at the same time he held high standards for himself and was honest, sometimes to a fault. He was a great man. He was a great Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and friend. He was always there for his family and helpful to his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his life. Among his favorite expressions were you gotta have fun, what’s happenin’, and are you scared? Saying goodbye to him is difficult (except for the squirrels that he loved to outsmart in the back yard).
People are guided in life by the questions they ask. If one wants to give another a gift, ask them a better question. My Dad did that with his own life. What differentiated my Dad from most others is that he DID ask better questions. He recognized that the road to a better life begins with better questions. His question was “how do I make this fun?” Imagine your life if you asked that question.
Even though he had been fighting Cancer for almost 2 years, we didn’t expect to be saying goodbye so soon. My Dad endured the unthinkable, from surgeries to chemotherapy to spend a few more years with his family. He was tired and understandably so. Even so, he did entertain the medical staff at times.
One of the stories that comes to mind, that illustrates him so perfectly, is the “Firewood Story.” One Sunday when my Mother’s family had gone to mass, he stacked firewood across the main entrance of the house. When they returned, they could not gain entry until they moved the wood. My Grandmother knew who the responsible party was, and the entire family laughed as they removed the wood from the entrance of the door.
There was also a 4th of July in the 70s when he invited about 25 people over for a party that Mom knew nothing about until her house was filled with people (most of whom she did not know). She had nothing in the house, and was working on the yard.
He had quite an affinity for dead fish, frogs, mailboxes, food coloring to torment squirrels, scaring his children and who could forget Captain Midnight, his beloved goat. The stories go on and on. Because I was told to keep this short and sweet, I can’t tell you all of them. Please see me afterwards and I’ll be happy to regale you with additional stories.
In times like this, there are things that we wish we could have done differently. We go to great lengths to examine our lives and perhaps ask the question, what was the lesson here? I think if my Dad was here, he would say, as he always said, “you gotta have fun.” He would also agree with Lillian Hellman when she said, that the past with its pleasures, its rewards, its foolishness, its punishments, is there for each of us forever, and it should be.
I would like to close by saying that every day is a miracle, and one of these days is none of these days. Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is cash in hand, spend it (John Newbern).
Ann M. Babiarz
Yes, he was and still is larger than life to all of us. All I can say is that he was a hard worker, his whole life up right up to his last moments.
He was the one who taught me about the excavating business. He also showed my brothers and I the mechanics of machines. He was handy. I will be ever grateful for the things he taught me.
I know he would say to all of us, “put humor in everything you do; it breaks up the monotony of doldrums.” If he wasn’t giving some one a hard time, they would say; where’s your Dad? I miss him busting my chops. ”
His life was hard work. The years I worked for him whether working excavation or working on fixing the truck all night to get the jobs done the next day, it was all about getting the job done, no excuses.
He loved fishing and telling many, many stories of fishing; especially Musky fishing. Mr. Fischer and my Dad up in Mercer…out before 5 a.m. and back at 12 p.m…. trying to catch “old canoe” or anything close.
There are many stories of practical jokes that all of us know and remember well. Keep them in your memories.
All I can say is celebrate his life and your own. Do not take anything for granted. You are here for a short time so make the most of it and have fun. He had a lot of laughs. I really miss him and I know you do as well.
Brad L. Weber
And then it became my turn . . . When I walked up there I thought I was going up to support Ann. After Ann finished reading what she had written Brad started reading his eulogy . . . At that point I realized I would be expected to say something. Since nothing was prepared I had to wing it.
I basically just said that he wouldn’t want us to be sad over his death, he would want us to celebrate his life.
My eulogy was short and to the point but it said exactly what I believe he’d want. While he’ll be missed we will concentrate on the good times.
We all miss you Dad.
Derek G. Weber