July 4, 1929 ~ July 3, 2019
Wilbur John (WJ) Weight, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away on July 3, 2019, one day shy of his 90th birthday.
John was born July 4, 1929 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. He was the 8th of 9 children born to Lena Violetta (Surface) Weight and John Frederick Weight. From the age of 6, he was raised by Lena and Ernest Schneider, whom he called Mom and Pop, on a farm just outside Poole, Nebraska.
John graduated from Ravenna High School where he played football and flirted with Genie Wallace, the prettiest cheerleader in school and the woman he would eventually marry. At 17, he enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Naval Electronics School at Treasure Island, California. There, he reconnected with his biological parents through his older brother Gene. He was assigned duty on board the USS Leonard F. Mason, a 2250 class destroyer, and completed tours in Hawaii, Guam, Okinawa, China, Japan, and the Philippines.
In 1950, after being honorably discharged from the Navy, John was initiated into the order of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Lotus Lodge No 298 (Ravenna, Nebraska). On June 18th, 1953, he married that pretty cheerleader, Regina Claire Wallace, and they moved to California where he worked as a civilian contractor for the Navy at Mare Island.
John went back to school and graduated from K-State in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He was immediately hired by Western Electric, which was eventually absorbed by AT&T. He spent his entire career with the company, retiring in 1987 as a Senior Development Engineer.
John and Genie had 4 children and eventually roosted for good in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He was active in the Boy Scout program for 25 years. As a leader for Troop 264, he helped both sons achieve the rank of Eagle scout. He was an honorary member of the tribe of Mic-O-Say where he was known as Warrior Silent Stalking Red Panther.
Throughout his life, John was passionately involved with the Masonic Lodge. He worked his way through all the chairs in Summit Lodge 263 (Lee’s Summit), becoming Master of the Lodge in 1983. He was elected Secretary of the Lodge in 1987 and served in that capacity until 1997.
An excellent cook, talented wood worker, dogged genealogist, and creative do-it-yourselfer who built his own TVs and modified his own computer programs, John was perhaps best known as a rabid Nebraska Cornhusker fan. His enjoyment of Cornhusker football games is the stuff of legend, and at least a small part of him did believe that if he only rooted hard enough in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, those close calls in Lincoln, Nebraska would sway our way.
John is survived by his 4 children — Tim (Pat) Weight, Lori (Bret) Siemons, Beki (Kevin) Groenwald, and Greg (Judy) Weight — 3 brothers, 7 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. His is preceded in death by his beloved wife Genie, his foster parents, his parents, 3 sisters and 3 brothers.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, July 13, 2019 at Meyers Funeral Chapel, 1600 W. Main St., Blue Springs, MO with visitation one hour prior at 9:00 am. Burial will be in Lee’s Summit Historical Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Summit Lodge #263 in Lee’s Summit. Memories of John and condolences may be left at Meyersfuneralchapel.com.
And because I always promised him this would be the last line in his obituary: Go Big Red.
