Darlene Dale Weaver

Darlene D. Neal-Weaver, age 76, passed away on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. Darlene was born on February 22, 1947, in Washington DC, to parents, Lesley Alice Bain and Charles William Farnum. A self-proclaimed Army brat, she enjoyed a childhood spent traveling and living around the world. After her family’s retirement in San Antonio, she was a proud graduate of UT Austin (BA 1968). Darlene also went on to earn a master’s degree from University of the Incarnate Word and worked towards her doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, lacking only her dissertation for completion. A lifetime educator, and beloved reading teacher at Alamo Heights Junior School, Mrs. Neal, as her students knew her, believed every student was a national treasure. She taught with high energy: her classrooms were exciting and entertaining, and believed humor to be an indispensable part of classroom instruction. Her inspired teaching and love of reading and literature at such an impressionable grade level surely impacted so many of her students that were fortunate to have had her. Simply put, Mrs. Neal was the “cool teacher”.

Darlene had a deep love for animals, always having a houseful of dogs and cats she adopted and had special bonds with many over her lifetime. She often quipped “they rescue me, more than I do them!”

Darlene was preceded in death by her beloved husbands, Harold F Neal (d. 2002) and David Weaver (d. 2014) and is survived by her son, Cory Neal (wife Rachel); grandchildren, Collin, Sloane and Hendrix Neal; sisters, Andy Lawrence, Sandye Muncy, and Michelle Cash; and brother, Bill Farnum.

The family will receive guests from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.