Lois LaVerne Weaver

Lois LaVerne Weaver died peacefully at age 97 on January 3, 2025 at the ACTS Country House, Wilmington, DE. LaVerne was born in February 1927 to Edward Freal and Letitia Harris Freal in Canton, OH, the youngest of their 3 children. Her father had been a coal miner in Frostburg, Md, but upon moving to Canton, he became a millwright at Timken Ball Bearing Co. LaVerne graduated from Lincoln High School Class of 1945 in Canton, OH where she played trumpet in band and orchestra, and was a member of the Spanish Club. The fellow students who signed her yearbook identified LaVerne as a swell gal and beneath her yearbook photo she earned the label “unique”. LaVerne entered the Aultman School of Nursing intending to join the war effort as an Army nurse, but with the war ended, she graduated in 1948 as a registered nurse. Her taste for adventure through nursing was satisfied with a stint at Presbyterian Hospital in Beverly Hills, CA, and she came back to Ohio with many stories of rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars.

Back in Ohio, LaVerne reconnected with a young engineering student, Lowell Weaver, who quickly became and remained the love of her life. LaVerne and Lowell were married in 1951, and moved to Wilmington, DE early in 1952 for Lowell’s job as an engineer at the DuPont Co. LaVerne and Lowell welcomed three children in quick succession, and once the children were established in school, she went back to nursing, first at Wilmington General Hospital and then she worked with several physicians in the Brandywine area until retirement. With the love of her life, LaVerne traveled around the US, visiting her children and grandchildren, playing golf and bridge with friends and family. Having spent a year in Aiken, SC in Lowell’s working years, they often went south to visit friends, to play golf and to enjoy the beach life at Hilton Head Island, which was a favorite family gathering spot. At home, LaVerne and Lowell were skilled bowlers and ballroom dancers, often spotted on the dance floor at the DuPont Country Club.

LaVerne and Lowell joined Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1952, joining a large group of young marrieds who became their lifelong friends. LaVerne was involved for many years with the annual church bazaar, as a volunteer with the after-school kids’ program, planning monthly lunch programs for the senior adults, and service as a deacon and Stephen Minister. She was well known for her organizational skills (passed along to her children) that helped these ministries run smoothly and offered a “low-key” meeting ground for nurturing faith in others. She also volunteered at Kentmere and participated in a clown ministry. LaVerne spent some years as a gift wrapper at The Kitchen Sink in Hockessin, and she was a skilled member of the local Embroidery Guild.

A few years after Lowell’s death, LaVerne moved to the Methodist Country House (now an ACTS community) in 2007 where she managed and bought items for the gift shop, helped to prepare and distribute the monthly newsletter, and was an active artist, bridge player, and Wii bowler. LaVerne was a friendly face for newcomers to ACTS, always welcoming and sociable, and she made a special effort to know and appreciate the staff at the Country House. LaVerne loved dogs and was enthusiastically greeted by canine friends on her daily walks. Many family visits to see her at the Country House included trips to Winterthur, Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Delaware Art Museum to enjoy beauty in its many forms.

LaVerne was predeceased by her parents, her husband Lowell, brother and sister-in-law Harris and Virginia Freal, sister and brother-in-law Marie and M. T. Wallace. She is survived by children Deborah (David) Meinke of Fairway, KS, David (Shengfang) Weaver of Newton, MA, and Janet Weaver of Lilburn, GA, grandchildren Laura (Michael) Simmons, Scott Meinke, Matthew (Vidar) Weaver,  Nathaniel (Kelsey) Weaver, Amanda Liu, and Elizabeth Weaver, great granddaughters Nora and Joanie Meinke, and 9 nieces and nephews.