Obituary of Dorothy Mabel Weber

Dorothy, 97, passed away unexpectedly May 2, 2015. Born March 4, 1918 in Villard, MN to Julius and Esther Feierabend, she had five brothers, Norman, Clarence, Harvey, Morris, and Rodney. She was the final member of her immediate family to return to the Lord. An intelligent, feisty, talented young woman with a quick wit, Dorothy graduated from high school at the age of 16 in the small farming town of Grey Eagle, MN. She attended business school in St. Paul, MN.and lived briefly in Corpus Christi, TX and New York City. She followed her brother Clarence and his wife, Evelyn, to Tacoma in 1946. There she met and married S. E. (Bob) Weber. They combined their families, including sons Richard and William, and then added Patricia, Lee, Donna, and Mary. It made for a lively and sometimes raucous family, all living in a one-bathroom home in South Tacoma. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband in 1978. Besides her family, Dorothy was most proud of her work as an artist, working in oils. She was a member of the Lakewood Artists and won numerous juries art shows over the years. Her subjects often were her children or any outdoor scene, building, boat or still life that caught her eye. She sold hundreds of paintings and continued her work until just a couple of years before her death. Growing up during the Great Depression, she understood the value of resourcefulness and a strong work ethic. She put her talents to practical use as a seamstress and a self-taught furniture refinisher and upholsterer. She never stopped looking for unique, antique or interesting furniture to bring home as a project to refinish and/or upholster. Her children and grandchildren were recipients of many beautiful pieces of furniture from her hand. You would never find Dorothy's hands' idle. Even when relaxing, she was always crocheting something to give away. She passed on those values and instilled them in her children by having them prepare, paint, and tend a large vegetable garden, make and send Christmas wreaths for gift-buying money, and take summer buses to the berry and bean fields to make money for school clothes. Late in life, at the age of 89, she found love a second time with George Benton Nicholas. Their four-year relationship was a shining beam after many solo years. Even though Dorothy outlived most of her peers, she kept a positive, strong and caring outlook on life. She may have been small in stature, but she was a giant in mind, spirit and grit, never giving up. She was a fighter and survivor. She is survived by her children; Richard (Virginia) Weber, William Weber, Patricia (Wally) Marlow, Lee (Valerie) Weber, Donna (Steve) Butler, and Mary (Agee) Anderson; and her grandchildren Denise (Jeffrey Leech, Debra Biegert, Robert (Winnie) Weber, Kathleen Weber, Joshua (Christina) Marlow, Leah (Brewster) Christiansen, Jessica (Cameron) Christie, Jason (Cassie) Weber, Judith (Dennis Sandmore, fiancé) Weber, Charles (Sandy) Halbert, Jeremy (Lisa) Halbert, Agee Anderson III, Marilyn (Rich Kadar, fiancé) Anderson, Salina (Douglas) Jones, David (Gwynne) Anderson, Robert (Susan) Anderson, and Christina Anderson. She also was blessed with 34 great-grandchildren.