Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Alfred Elliot Weaver Jr. was born in 1928, to Doris and Alfred Sr. in Medford, Massachusetts. He was the middle child between his brother, Albert, and his sister, Dottie. Al was greatly influenced by his mother, who was a homemaker, and by his father, who worked as a Superintendent at Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy. His father shared a strong work ethic and a patriotic respect of our country with the entire family. The children all attended Sunday school every Sunday with a strong belief in God. Early in life, Al demonstrated that he was a responsible young man. Al and his brother had a newspaper route and later, as young entrepreneurs, they collected horse droppings from behind the milkman's wagon and sold them as fertilizer to housewives for their flowerbeds. Even though it was the time of the Depression, Al had a wonderful childhood. He grew up on the Bay and had two of his own sailboats. The family belonged to the yacht club and Al was a competitive sailor in Junior High and High School. In fact, he used his boats to race Jack and Joe Kennedy. Al was adventurous and there were times when he went sailing all night by himself. His parents would leave the light on in the yard, so he could find his way home. In school, Al played football and he was a good student.

After graduating from high school, Al voluntarily joined the United States Marine Corps. After his first tour of duty, he agreed to re-enlist if the Marines enrolled him in Aviation school in Quantico, Virginia. He was accepted as the youngest person ever to attend that school. Al kept the Marine Corps mascot, a dog named "Dinty." That dog was so amazing; he even had his own dress blues. Al had a great compassion for animals and he took that dog everywhere. He enjoyed his friends in the Marine Corps as well. One time, he and two other privates each bought a two-tone Chevy Deluxe: one in green, one in yellow and one in brown. In fact, he and his friends bought the cars and drove them right out of the showroom for $2,000 each. As a Marine, Al became a Crew Chief responsible for the mechanical functioning of the planes. Traveling the world became a part of his work. After returning home from overseas, Al saw famous singers Patsy Cline and Jimmy Dean perform at a Country Western bar. But, it was the Navy Relief Ball in Quantico, Virginia, that changed his life forever when he asked a young woman to dance. Her name was Rose Mary McGeehan. At the time, she was working as the executive secretary to President Harry S. Truman at the White House. She was also a loving mother to her daughter, Judy. Rose Mary and Al's first date was attending a concert with Judy near the Lincoln Memorial. They soon became a family as the couple married in June 1954. Al always called Rose Mary his girlfriend, even after they married. The couple's first son, Allan, was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital. As Rose Mary was dedicated to her family, she devoted herself to her husband and her children. When Al's work with the Marine Corps led the family to California, Rose Mary discovered she was pregnant again. The family welcomed the birth of son, Robbie, at Hoag Memorial Hospital.

From 1960 to 1963, Al moved from Aviation to Marine Corps Recruiter in Georgia. When he found out that Jayne Mansfield was coming to town for the opening of a Kmart department store, he called a Chevy dealer and asked for a convertible. He had two Marines in full dress and took Jayne Mansfield's photo with them. The photo landed in the newspaper. As a recruiter, he was extremely successful. Moving back to Washington D.C., Al joined the flight crew for the Commandant of the Marine Corps based at Andrews Air Force Base. Over the course of 21 years with the Marine Corps, Al reached the highest level of Master Sergeant, he was decorated with many awards and he was a Korean War Veteran. When Al retired from the Marine Corps, the family moved to California when Al joined Lockheed Aircraft as a Manufacturing Engineer, working for the next four decades until the age of 79. While at Lockheed, he worked in the Georgia, Palmdale and Burbank locations. His work was high-level, as it included special Skunk Works projects. He loved Lockheed and he loved the United States of America. Lockheed never asked Al to retire, because he was invaluable to the company. With his high-level clearance, Al had access to the runway when no one else did. Al Weaver earned great respect.

While the family was in Mount Vernon, Virginia, Robb remembers the wonderful treehouse that his Dad built with a pulley system. When Robb played sports in high school, his Dad was always there to support him in football, wrestling, soccer and cross-country. Al took him to practices and enjoyed attending his football games. He taught Robb to be prepared for the 8 am games the night before, by organizing his equipment. Al was so proud when Robb's name appeared in the newspaper when he played for the Smyrna Falcons. The kids always had chores and learned from taking on responsibilities around the home. As a father, his children remember him best for his patience. He explained everything in detail. He taught his children how to clean pennies and study them as a coin collector. He also taught Allan how to use tools, how to solve problems and how to survey the situation. There was always a lesson in trying it your way and then listening to Al's suggestion when your way didn't work. He had a mechanical mind as he did all of the work around the house whether it was a small chore or a major project. He fixed everything including the family cars. He even built fences and cut the lawn until eight years ago. As a result of the support and examples set, Judy, Allan and Robb have passed many of the skills and ways of learning on to the grandchildren. In fact, Robb has exposed his children to a variety of sports because Al said it was always good to try. You may not be the best at the sport, but at least you tried.

Over the course of their lives together, Rose Mary and Al took only a few vacations together to Canada to visit Judy and to Hawaii a few times. He once took her to a special Johnny Mathis concert, which they both enjoyed. Most of their trips were focused on visiting their grandchildren, whom they loved very much. They enjoyed attending Coco's soccer games, Grandparent's Day events at school and they always supported school fundraisers. His favorite foods he also shared with Kristi: corned beef hash and lamb chops. When it came to music, Al enjoyed listening to Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Patsy Cline and country songs. He enjoyed reading books about airplanes or military. Al also loved his granddogs, Maxie and Toto. When he visited the dogs, he brought dog treats along. When Maxie had a sleepover, Al loved the company.

Al worked until six months before the love of his life passed away. He missed Rose Mary so very much and often said he missed taking care of her. He had spent every day by her side at the hospital. After her passing, he did something so rare. He returned to the hospital and gave tie tacks from Lockheed to all of the security guards and he gave candy to the nurses who were so kind to his wife. Al always had a special way to say thank you. He liked giving little gifts and people appreciated it. Over the years, he gave away many professional photos of airplanes.

Very generous with his grandchildren, Al loved to give them love and attention. Robb says he was like Santa Claus to his grandchildren with many trips to KB Toys. He also collected hundreds of baseball cards and coins for his grandchildren. When Nana said the grandchildren needed something, Gramps was happy to get it for them. In many ways, he was Rose Mary's Secretary of State, as she'd send him on a mission. He was good at it and he brought other people happiness when they least expected it. While Al rarely spent money on himself, his children made sure he enjoyed the better things in life. Over the last few months, they helped him start to remodel his house. For fun, Allan rented a Shelby Mustang for him to drive. He also took his father to test drive new cars such as a Jaguar and a Mercedes Convertible. For the first time in his life, with encouragement from his children, Al recently bought himself one satisfying extravagance: a white Mercedes Convertible SL550. He owned it for just less than 100 days.

People always took to Al. In fact, Allan's neighbors all knew him and his friends loved when he joined them for barbeques. Al was the kind of person who brought you things when he knew you needed them. He once bought a new ladder for Allan, even though Allan didn't think he needed it. Later, it turned out he did need it and Dad knew best. His children worked together to honor Al and even though Allan lived the closest, everything was done on behalf of all of them. Kristi enjoyed his sense of humor and how he loved his children and grandchildren. In many ways, he lived through their joys and their discoveries. He was a real blessing in their lives. She remembers he had a special way of building up the children and encouraging them. Even after Rose Mary passed away, he continued traditions with the grandchildren such as giving money in the little red Chinese envelopes. He enjoyed taking them to KB Toys, especially watching Elliot organize his toy choices in an efficient way. She will miss the whole package of Al, because he really was the family's personal cheerleader.

The one thing that would surprise people is that Al suffered secretly from Multiple Myeloma for 10 years while he continued to work. He didn't complain, instead he led by example as a man of strength and resilience. The doctors gave him five years to live and he outlived that by another five years through sheer determination. In early November this year, the family held a wonderful party in honor of Al's 80th birthday at the Braemar Country Club. It was a delightful celebration as the family quizzed each other about fun details about Al's life. He loved that party. Judy took Al to San Diego, where Al enjoyed watching Ashton ride in his miniature Cadillac Escalade with a radio built into it. Judy recently bought her father a comfortable pair of shoes, while Robbie bought him a pair of Coach sandals. He loved them. A few weeks later at Thanksgiving, Allan took his Dad to Alabama to visit Judy's family for the holiday. They had a wonderful time together. Up until the end, Al lived his life his way. He drove his car to his own doctor appointments. He went to the grocery store and the pharmacy, where employees knew him by name. And, most importantly, he lived in his own home with an independent spirit.

Al was a very handsome Marine right out of high school and later in life he still had a boyish grin. With three children and seven grandchildren, Al will best be remembered as a gracious, sincere man who was diplomatic, resourceful and memorable. He loved to laugh and delivered lines with such a clever wit. Throughout his life, he was grateful and showed an appreciation for everything and everyone in his life. A patriotic man, Al taught his children to be good citizens, to give back to the community, and make a difference in the world. With subtle gracefulness, his family was so proud of him professionally and personally. While he never sought attention, he captivated others with his stories. While he was very proud for working on classified projects, his family was more proud of his giving spirit in life. He always put other people first. Allan will miss his buddy; they got to do so many things together. Judy will miss his good advice, as he was the rock of the family. Robb misses talking with him and his wonderful relationship with the grandchildren. If he were here, he would remind his family and friends, "I'm with Nana. Be happy and be good to each other." A little over a year ago, Al signed an F-117 Stealth Fighter that is on display at the Smithsonian for the world to see in Washington, D.C. As a result, his legacy will live on for generations to come. After his passing, Allan found his Marine Corps flag, which he ironed and flew outside of his home. It is something that Al absolutely would have loved. With Al's beliefs in God and Heaven, his family believes he has been reunited with his wife, Rose Mary. They were wonderful parents… May they both rest in peace…

Al is remembered by his daughter Judy and her husband Toby; son Allan; son Robb and his wife Kristi; grandchildren John, Michael, Caroline, Cole, Baylee, Elliot, and Ashton; sister Dottie; brother Albert; dear friend, Rose Mary's Aunt Bernice; nieces and nephews: Mary Kate, Patrick, Katie, Kerry, Tommy, Eddie, Carol and Roger.

Memorial donations are welcome in Al's name to www.OperationHomeFront.net, an organization that supports our troops and helps the families they leave behind.

To read Rose Mary Weaver's online memorial visit: www.celebrantpam.com/memorials/rosemaryweaver.html.

Coco's Tribute to Gramps

I am blessed to say I have a family whose love is always present
From many cousins to aunts and uncles, their company is always pleasant
But there are two people missing, two vital factors, who kept our family close
My grandparents, Al and Rose, the couple who loved us the most

They watched me come into this world so many years ago
They held me close; they held me tight, I knew they’d never let go
When I was young, they loved to spoil me and fulfill my every whim,
From Mickey Mouse watches, to Barbie Jeeps, to Martinellis filled to the brim

Gramps and I would spend our time in the yard doing many projects,
Like making a garden, feeding squirrels, and using tools to fix various objects
Our garden was particularly successful, growing sunflowers over 6 feet tall
There were tomatoes, pumpkins, squashes; I couldn’t possibly name them all!

Visiting Nana and Gramps’ house was always a special treat
I had my own desk, a closet full of "nonnies", and all the food I could possibly eat
Maxie the dog loved visiting too, because he was spoiled as if he were adult
He slept on Gramps’ bed and was fed chicken and pound cake, gaining 10 pounds in result
Nana would force Gramps to carry around two cameras, if he forgot one heaven forbid
So he’d catch every moment of our lives, but I’m so grateful that he did
Because reflecting on the past, my grandparents were essential in my growth
And as I proceed to through my life, I owe my thanks to them both
For nurturing me, guiding me, and setting up high standards
For showing me how to love and teaching me good manners
It brings me so much joy to know you are now both together
But my memories of you both will live on forever

United States Marine Corps Hymn

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marines.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze,
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

Presented by David Walker, in behalf of The Media Products Group & Lockheed Martin

Al will always be very special to the "old timers" in the Media Products group, going back many years with most of us. In fact, in one case he was considered an extended member of the family for two generations of Drivers - Dotti & Denie and then Bob & Cathy. He was just considered part of their family. To the Media Products crew he was a Lockheed Martin Rock Star with a Marine Corps "never give up" attitude. He was bigger than life. It didn't matter if he was having an off day, a day where the discomfort from his medications were getting the best of him, or days on end when he was enduring an attack of the shingles. Al could and would light up the room. When he approached us, the conversation would almost always begin with the big grin and the twinkle in his eyes, then the inquiry about how everybody's doing and what's new - and you knew he was truly interested in everybody. But, you also knew Al was on a mission. Sooner or later you knew the question was coming. "I need a couple of (fill in the blank)" or "Hey do you have any extras of (fill in the blank)?". We knew whatever he was searching for would be going to a good cause, or at the very least a very well thought out plan. We were always happy to oblige him. Sometimes he was so slick, we didn't know what just happened until he was long gone. We're not saying that Al had sticky fingers, but somehow he had some sort of magnetic field surrounding him where anything he thought he needed somehow attached itself to him. But then he'd always flash you that grin, or you'd see the twinkle in those eyes, and you knew he appreciated the contribution. In fact, we once talked about a plan to weigh Al when he first arrived at our front door, and then weigh him again on the way out. If, I mean when, there was any kind of a discrepancy, we'd have to shake him down. We constantly threatened to take this approach, but we never implemented it. If you've never seen photographs of where we work, you should know there are rocks of all shapes and sizes surrounding many of the buildings. We figured it would take Al 2 or 3 "weigh-ins", and he'd just figure out the weight of the items he was "picking up", load his pockets with the appropriate ballast, and then we'd be the proud owners of the rock collection he'd leave behind. I guess we're all fortunate he was using his powers for good.

If you didn't know much about Al at work, for you that are old enough, picture a much more effective and far more creative Radar O'Reiley of MASH. So many times when we had problems or tasks that required extraordinary or almost impossible logistics, we'd call Al. 99% of the time he either made the arrange ments or the connection that made it happen. 97% of the time we were almost afraid to ask how he did it. It's probably best for all involved that we disavowed any knowledge of those missions.

If you needed something rare, or impossible to find, the odds were it was in the back of Al's truck. If it was particularly valuable to Al, it might have been locked up in 1 of perhaps 7 large walk-in storage containers that were scattered about the Lockheed property. I say 7 only because that's the number of containers that have been discovered - so far.

Let's talk about Al's driving skills for a moment. Al was in it for the sport. One of Al's favorite pastimes was something we'll call "Let's beat the electric gate". Al considered it a personal challenge to try and get through any of the electric gates that are located around the plant. Normally, you would need to get out of the vehicle, or call on the radio to open the gate. This was not how Al liked to do it. Al enjoyed the thrill of getting through the gates on the coat tails of the vehicle in front of him, even if the gate was already closing to within inches of the side of his truck. Al was fairly good at getting his truck through the gates. I say fairly good because accounts are that he made it roughly half o f the time. But he was always up for the challenge.

While we're on the subject of Al's in-plant driving - I have 2 more short stories. I recall a story about Al's impromptu attempt to go for an in-plant speed record just west of Building 601. It was very early in the morning when the plant was pretty much empty. Al apparently wanted to "blow the carbon" out of the engine and figured it was safe enough to do it - or he was just in a hurry. Anyway, there wasn't anybody around, or so Al thought. Unbeknownst to Al, the only person around was a Plant Protection Officer - with a radar gun. Well, the Officer pulled Al over and they proceeded to get in an argument about the speed. For the record the in-plant speed limit is 15 mph. The bottom line is that Al basically told him he was full of, lets just say baloney. Al insisted the officer got the speed wrong, because Al said His speedometer indicated he was going 15 miles an hour Faster than the radar gun indicated. I wish I knew how he got out of that one...

Al's truck was uniquely marked. It usually had an American flag and/or Marine Corps flag flying at any given time. One of the other markings it had was a "Follow Me" magnetic sign attached to the tailgate. This sign was used to guide pilots arriving at the fly-away gate, to follow Al's vehicle to the location where they were to park. Well, Al was forever losing these signs. We knew they weren't falling off the truck due to excessive speed, because we knew Al always followed the speed limit. He would go through 2 or 3 a month. So we started making extras to have on hand for when he would come in.

At this point, I would like to present the family with the last one we made for him. That sign means so much more to us than directions to a pilot. It's more like unstated guidance that he left behind for us.

In addition, I am also honored to present to the family a special tribute to Al from Lockheed Martin. The image is one created by Media Products to honor our friend and family member. Included, are two Lockheed Martin Issued Veterans medals. These medals were produced by the Company to show it's appreciation to all of the Veterans employed by Lockheed Martin in Palmdale, and although Al had retired before these were issued, we all knew that he'd want 1 (or 3) and he'd wear it with pride - and deservedly so.

We're going to forever remember that grin on his face and that twinkle in his eyes. Semper Fidelis!