~~Thomas James Weber
March 24, 1931 to September 13, 2017
Thomas James Weber passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on Wednesday, September 13th in West Caldwell at Crane’s Mill, nearby to where he lived during his high school years. Born on March 24, 1931 in York, Pennsylvania to Edward Melvin Weber, Sr. and Margaret Taylor Weber, he was one of two children, the elder being Edward M. Weber, Jr. Thomas was a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University (1953), and received his graduate degree in Divinity from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. In 1954, Thomas married Jeanne Frances Waltemyer of Gettysburg. Following his ordination in the Central Pennsylvania Lutheran Synod, Reverend Weber was called as the pastor to The Lower Frankford Lutheran Parish which was comprised of three congregations. After that he served as pastor to The First Lutheran Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1962, the Webers moved to Lutherville, Maryland when Thomas was selected by the National Lutheran Church to head Lutheran Church Planning in Baltimore for The Board of American Missions. A component of his work focused on unification of urban and suburban church congregations, and he was involved in the urban planning and development project of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. In 1967 the family moved to Doylestown, Pennsylvania where Reverend Weber continued to work in leadership planning roles for the Lutheran Church in America in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Webers relocated to Lawrenceville, New Jersey, when Revered Weber became the assistant to the bishop of the New Jersey Synod of the LCA.
Reverend Weber and his wife Jeanne were married for 62 years, and have four children and fourteen grandchildren. Tom and Jeanne were generous and lively hosts, and the children most fondly remember the vibrant parties they held for
friends in the 1970s. One of Tom’s famous, humorous lines was, “wherever there are four Lutherans, there’s bound to be a ‘fifth’!” In fact, Tom and Jeanne graciously entertained family, friends, and anyone that needed a home for the holiday. They were avid global travelers, and took their children on lengthy car trips throughout the United States, giving them the gift of seeing most of our National Parks and monuments. Even into his seventies, Tom was a willing camper on canoe trips with his sons and grandsons, cheerfully sleeping on a mostly deflated blow-up mattress. Thomas officiated at the weddings of his four children, baptized all fourteen grandchildren, and even spoke at the the recent wedding of his grandson. In their retirement, Tom and Jeanne lived in Pennington, New Jersey at Four Seasons, and recently moved to Crane’s Mill in West Caldwell.
The Reverend Thomas James Weber is survived by his wife, Jeanne and their children: James (Jean), John (Catherine), Joel (Kimberly), and Jennifer (Patrick), and their grandchildren: Jacob, Megan, Justin (Erica), Charlotte, Abigail, Olivia (Taylor), Thomas, Macklin, John Jr., Margot, Marin, Patrick, Isabel and William.
For 86 years, Thomas was the proud and protective patriarch of his family, instilling in its members the virtues of loyalty, commitment, and integrity which are the lasting reminders of his great strength and fine standards. There will be a celebration of Thomas’ life at 11:30 on Saturday, September 16, at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 2220 Pennington Road, Ewing, New Jersey. Luncheon reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Thomas, please consider a tribute gift to The Alzheimer’s Association: act.alz.org/donate