Weeks was born May 18, 1938, in Austin, Texas and spent formative years in Evanston, Illinois, before returning to Texas and her father’s alma mater to attend Baylor University, graduating in 1960 with a B.A. in Drama and Education. After graduation, she returned to Evanston to begin her teaching career. While attending a Christmas party in Austin, Texas, at the home of her godmother, she met Julien Devereux Weeks. Finding a reason to spend the following summer in Austin, where Dev was finishing law school, the couple became engaged on the lawn of Zilker Park.
Gene and Dev lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, where daughter Janet was born, and Madison, Wisconsin, where son David was born, before moving to Athens, Georgia, where daughter Elizabeth was born. The family remained lifelong Athenians and Five Points residents. Weeks earned her M.A. in Early Childhood Education at the University of Georgia in 1982 and taught for over a decade at Fowler Drive Elementary School, specializing in second and third grades and gifted education.
In addition to her career and family, Weeks was an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church; delivered Meals on Wheels for Athens Community Council on Aging for 29 years; served on The Friends of the Athens Regional Library System Board, including as president during the planning and construction of the new Baxter Street building in 1992; and was lifelong supporter of the arts, including the Town & Gown Players, appearing in multiple productions, most recently, Calendar Girls in 2017, and the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center. In 2021, she moved to Presbyterian Village Athens, where she quickly developed yet another community of loyal friends.
Weeks is survived by her sister, Winifred Guthrie Anderson, of Alexandria, Virginia; her children, Janet Lynn Weeks (Phil Cohen) and David Devereux Weeks (Georgie Stout), of Brooklyn, New York, and Elizabeth Weeks Leonard (Thom Leonard) of Athens, Georgia; her grandchildren, Fenner Moody Weeks, Max Devereux Weeks, Josiah Isaac Cohen, Ezra Julien Leonard, and Miles Guthrie Leonard; her dog, Frances; and a number of cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 21, 2022, at 1 p.m., at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens, followed by a private burial at Oconee Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Athens Community Council on Aging, University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, or Athens Regional Library System.
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements.
