Jean Inez Weber worked her bit of earth into place with steady, smooth movements. Focused and with a sure purpose she relished this silent dance with nature. Gardens had always been worked this way, at least they had when done by Jean Weber’s hands.
Born October 6, 1925 in the heart of the harvest season, Jean had 93 years of experience with the art of nurturing. She knew a good thing by the feel of it; whether it be the delicate silk of a new bloom, the flaky, buttery crust of a fresh apple pie, or the fervent embrace of a loved one.
Jean had a special magic and the feel of a thing told her the truth of it. During the 1940s she was a nurse, feeling the hope and fear of the sick she tended steady her hands as she worked. On August 28, 1948 Jean married Eugene “Ike” Weber and together they set their hearts to growing things, plants and their family alike. When their first child arrived, she moved from tending other to tending her own, life threatening wounds made way for skinned knees and runny noses.
Then in 1967, with her husband Ike, she opened Weber’s Nursery, a place for her skilled hands to nurture both hearts and blooms. At the nursery, Jean would feel with nimble fingers along the soil to check if a plant needed water, trail the silken petals of a new bloom across fingertips and cheeks, and listen to what the plants told her when she touched them.
Jean felt with body and soul. Tending to her plants and to the garden of her life gave Jean the ability to do what she did best, love. Her love manifested in kind words, in the form of Christmas stockings handmade with time and care, in the emotional burdens she carried for others, in every sweet cheek kissed or slice of pie served, and in the thoughtful floral arrangements she made for those who love and are loved.
On May 3, 2019 the bountiful garden, of people, connections, and love, that Jean planted throughout her life was completed. She had finished her work and went seeking a new place for her soul to further bloom. Those left to tend the garden of her memory, whose hands were taught how to nurture by her hands, are her husband of 70 years Ike Weber; her children Rick (Anne) Weber, Teri (Dan) Moffett, Pat (John) Roylance, Russ (Joan) Weber, and Brad (Debbie) Weber; her 13 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren, 5 great-great grandchildren; many loving nieces and nephews; and her faithful fur companions Sammie and Caesar.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents and eight brothers and sisters.
Funeral services for Jean will be held on Thursday May 9, 2019 at 1 p.m. at Weeks’ Funeral Home in Buckley, Washington. A graveside service will be held on Friday May 10, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. A beautiful garden is a work of heart and the one left by Jean is glorious. Please sign the guest book at www.weeksfuneralhomes.com
