Thelma MacNeill Weaver

Thelma, also known as Scotty or Cotty, was born on April 9, 1915 in San Francisco, CA. She grew up in Carmichael, just outside Sacramento with her older brother & parents. She was the student body President of her Jr. College, where she met and fell in love with Maurice Allison Herbert - Maury. They were married at the First Baptist Church, Sacramento, Aug. 16th, 1936, when she was 21 & he was 24.

They eventually settled on See Drive in West Whittier, as their family grew to 6 children: Earle, Jack, Jerry, Gene, Sharon & Carl. Mom always said she "would have had 6 more if they'd had the money."

Thelma's servant heart was a result of her faith in a loving God. Thelma served as a den mother for her boys in the cub scouts, Brownie leader for her daughter, and avidly kept scrapbooks of all the family activities. She served as Master cook, mender, bottle-washer and handy repair-woman at all times. Imagine the chart she posted on the bathroom door scheduling all 8 people for breakfast and allotted time in the one shared bathroom! She made it work so that everyone was out to school and work on time, and served her family with great love.

She also took care of children in her home daycare, where whiffle ball was a major backyard activity. When her father died, Thelma brought her mother to live with her growing family for 3 years.

Scotty took a class in woodworking, and built the bookshelves and floor lamps for the family living room. She rarely encountered a logistical problem she couldn't solve with her tool box or her gardening supplies. When the family went on their legendary camping trips, imagine how all those skills & love served her family well. Scotty eventually served as the dietitian at Murphy Memorial and later at The Presbyterian Inter community Hospital in Whittier.

Maury died in 1967. 17 years later on May 6, 1984, Scotty married Richard Steen Weaver, a man she'd known in Whittier for over 40 years in their Pilots adult Sunday school class at Calvary Baptist Church. Steen had two adult daughters, Janice and Diana, one of whom had gone to the Junior Prom with one of Thelma's sons.

Thelma's zest for adventure went into high gear with Steen. Scotty & Steen went white water rafting in the Grand Canyon when she was 69. The local guides repeatedly asked her to sit in the middle for protection against getting bumped overboard. She would have none of that. She relished the frequent dunkings by sitting on the front edge of that raft.

She & Steen traveled several thousand miles in the Winnebago from Alaska to Maine, and down the Mississippi on a river boat. She even adventured to her MacNeil ancestral home in Scotland with her twin sons when she was 80. At 84, mom was "Ooo-ing" with delight to be double-parasailing over the Cayman Islands, while her daughter-in-law was counting the seconds until landing.

Thelma spent the last 10 years of her life at Camelot Retirement Home, where she enjoyed many friends and many card games. This past April, Thelma celebrated her 100th birthday at Camelot with 39 family members present. She is survived by 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

What a great woman of service with a zest for adventure!