Richard Thomas Weger

Richard Thomas Weger Jr., born December 12, 1931 from Elida Ohio son of Richard Thomas Weger Sr., and Marie Rose Weger passed away on November 10, 2020 a resident of Hemet for the past 10 years he called Vista Montana Senior Care facility his home. He was formally married to Joan Beatrice Christian from Brooklyn New York who previously passed away on July 20, 2019. He left behind a son Richard Weger of Farmington New Mexico and a daughter Linda Marie Weger of San Jacinto California.

Richard had a storied past; after graduating Saint Rose High School in 1950, he attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts where he earned an Associates of Arts degree in Commercial Art. Upon graduating, he joined the United States Army with an MOS Illustrator. Richard was apart of 8th Army deployed to Korea during the Korean War; and afterwords, stationed in Washington and then as part of the 8578th unit Alexandria Virginia as part of the Army’s Exhibit Unit till he was Honorably Discharged on March 20, 1961 as Spec 5.

Upon leaving active duty in the Army Richard worked with Hughes Aircraft Corporation from 1956-57 illustrating engineering designs for aircraft parts. The most fulfilling part of his career if you let Richard tell it was when he worked as an illustrator, designer and creative manager where he designed greeting cards from traditional to the unique and novel pop-up 3D greeting cards. These pop-up cards have seldomly been reproduced; even up until today.

Other noteworthy achievements of Richard was when he worked briefly for Walt Disney on cartoon pre-production etchings. This was not one of his professional highlights due to the restrictive nature of Disney Corporation.

Richard and his generation can still be included as the Greatest Generation; many of whom were not “braggadocious” or flamboyant, but humble men who just came home and put their experiences in the war behind them and raised their families. In Richard’s case he purchased a home in the city of Orange California in 1961, where he raised his two kids.

Richard as simply an artist, he was not your typical connoisseur of sports. He loved his wife, kids, camping like at Cardiff-By-The-Sea, creating art and loving to the fullest. In fact he loved his wife Joan so much; that Richard never remarried or got involved with anyone else after their divorce.

Richard loved people from all backgrounds! His friends were few; but as long as they were either artists and/or musicians? Those were the qualities Richard found most endearing.

Let’s celebrate and Honor Richard by making sure to do it “our way!” As the epitaph says on his Urn, “I did it my way!”

Now Richard is drawing with the Angels and laughing with his buddies!