Dad's Funeral, December 23, 2022

David Weenig

(My mom wrote the most beautiful obituary for my dad)

Funeral Recording https://audio.funeralrecording.com/embed/47207d4a-8304-11ed-aa18-02b10d2864a9

I lost my best friend and soul mate on Saturday, December 17, 2022. We met at Onequa Elementary School in the 3rd grade and were married on April 15, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple by Apostle LeGrand Richards.
Dave was born on March 17, 1939 in Salt Lake City to John Weenig and Edith Florence Papworth. He attended West High School, Class of 1957, and graduated from the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Class of 1966.
The most beloved accomplishment of his life were his four daughters, his eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren with another little one coming in May 2023. He loved his sons-in-law and in fact he did not consider them as in-laws, they were his sons.
He practiced all areas of pharmacy from research to hospital pharmacy to community pharmacy and really loved those he worked with and those he served. He became a Preceptor and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Practice, served with pride on the U. of U. College of Pharmacy Admissions Committee as their Retail Community Representative, worked in the high school BiCep Program introducing students to the pharmacy profession and was named one of the outstanding pharmacists by The Older Adult Task Force of the Salt Lake Valley Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition.
Dave also served in the U.S. Army Reserve at Ft. Douglas Utah, 6th Army, Infantry, 84th Armored Division, Reconnaissance and attended the NCO Academy at Ft. Lawton, Washington. He was an Explorer Scout Leader, served on the Scouting Committee and other Church positions including Ward Clerk for many years and again related with and loved those with whom he served. He also served five years as a Church Service Missionary on Temple Square.
He loved being a beekeeper, collecting postal stamps, camping, hiking, fishing, gardening, reading, painting and the Shakespearean Festival.
He is survived by his wife, Carol J. H. Hansen Weenig, Laura and Mark Christensen, Kathy and Shaun Jackson, Sarah and Steve Cannon, Jenny and Chris Wykstra. Grandchildren, (Christensen) Nate & Kimber, Rachel & Justin Hill, Katie, (Jackson) Amanda & Sam Feree, David & Jalisa, (Cannon) Jeremy, Nicholas & Avian, (Wykstra) Morgan, Eric & Andrew with Katelyn Brunson and Harrison Sheranian joining our family. His precious great-grandchildren, BreElle, Waylon, George & Carol Jane Ferree, Adalyn & Isabelle Jackson and his newest little one, Ruby Rose Hill.
He is predeceased by his parents and two sisters, Joan Edith Weenig Kershaw and Dorothy Margaret Weenig Cunningham.
Funeral services will be held Friday, December 23, 2022, 11:00 a.m. at the Willow Grove Ward, 1945 West 9000 South, West Jordan, UT  84088.  A visitation will be held the day of the service at the church from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.  Interment Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Riverton, Utah.
Services will be streamed and can be access at 10:45 a.m. the day of the service by clicking on the following link.  https://www.facebook.com/CannonMortuary  .  This will take you to Cannon Mortuary’s Facebook page.  You do not need a Facebook account to watch the service.

Mom and I were up early on December 23rd.  We ate breakfast, got ourselves ready and headed over to the church to get everything set up.  Steve, the kids and I were given a few minutes to say good-bye to Dad/Grandpa before the viewing started.  It was so hard to see him lying there in the casket  

At the viewing it was so nice to see people I hadn't seen in such a long time.  A lot of childhood friends came - Pam (Fletcher) Larisch, Kim (Spek) Miller, Christy (Hermanson) Vuyk and Roger Buttars and his wife, Michelle. There were so many cousins as well.  Wade (Dad's favorite co-worker at the Dan's pharmacy) and Gwen (their favorite pharmacy assistant) were both there as well.  So many neighbors from Nantucket Drive - The Fletchers, Mayfields, Debbie Wretburg (representing her mom and dad who were too ill to come), Marlene Barth.  All of Mom and Dad's "club" friends who have been getting together since high school graduation.  

Kimber and Nate

Sam and the kids taking a break during the viewing.  

Mom picked out the flowers for the casket.  They were some of Dad's favorites - including English roses.  

My sisters and I picked out the flowers for this spray.  You cannot see it very well, but there is a fishing pole running through the middle of the arrangement.  Dad loved fishing and being in the out-of-doors.  

This beautiful arrangement was sent by my work.  It was at the foot of Dad's casket during the viewing and was taken to the graveside as well.  I am so glad that someone asked Laura who sent it and she noticed the card otherwise I would not have know to say thank you!

The guest book.  So many people came to pay their last respects.  

Dad's favorite painting shirt

Mom spent days collecting items to display that represented Dad.  It was an impressive collection that created a real picture of the man that my Dad was.  

Family was always so important to him. 

He loved the University of Utah, Southern Utah, painting and Coca-Cola.

His paintings were all so beautiful and of things he loved. 

There was a flag to represent Dad's military service.  

Dad had an impressive collection of mortar and pestles to represent his passion for pharmacy. 

Snow with the quaking aspens as a focal point of his painting

Dad's famous Beeble Berry story that Avian illustrated. 

This was the flower arrangement from the grandkids.  They used Grandpa's fishing basket.

Dad LOVED fishing

The funeral was a celebration of my Dad.  Each family got to share stories and memories of Dad/Grandpa.  There were many laughs and a lot of tears.  Jeremy summed it all up when he said, "Grandpa, you got so Christlike that you had to graduate!"  

All the grandsons helped lift the casket into the hearse.  

The grand-daughters were honorary pall bearers.  

Nate and David

They cannot stay serious for long.  

While they were loading the casket into the hearse I got to talk to Roger Butters.  He and Michelle were in town for their daughter's wedding.  They took time out of their busy schedule to come to the funeral.  it was so good to see him.  I also got to talk to Sharron (Steve's mom) for a tiny bit before the hearse started to pull out and I needed to follow it because I was driving Mom.  Nick came with us and was right there to get the door for Grandma and help her walk to the grave site.  

Nick helped Grandma get from the car to the grave site.  

Unloading the casket

The military was there to honor Dad

Mark said the dedicatory prayer.  It was perfect and very peaceful. After the dedication, one of the military men played taps on the bugle.  Mom started to cry and said that taps always makes her emotional.  They then folded the flag that was on top of the casket..

...and presented it to Mom. 

Each of the pall bearers then came and left their boutonnieres on the casket.  These grandkids loved their grandpa as much as he loved them.  It was sweet and hard to watch at the same time.  

Jalisa was behind the camera most of the time, but I caught this one of her capturing memories for Grandma.  

As sisters, we decided we wanted to honor Dad in our way by doing a Coke salute and telling Dad's favorite joke. Jenny handed out the Coke cans and I told the joke:

Patrick and Seamus were sitting in a pub one day.  Patrick looked at Seamus and said, "Seamus, when I die I want ye to buy a pint of the best Irish Whiskey and pour it on me grave." Seamus thought for a moment and then replied, "Aye, Patrick!  That I will do, but do mind if I run in through me kidneys first?" 

We love you Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa

After the coke salute, Mom had asked that they play hers and Dad's song - "Look At Us" by Vince Gill.  Mom just sobbed during the song.  I had not seen her cry since I had arrived and suddenly this was all very real.  

Amanda and Jenny helped Mom back to the car.  

Laura had reserved the party room at Jim's Diner.  Mom had wanted everyone to come back to her house for food afterwards, but we talked her out of it.  We didn't want her to completely exhaust herself and the day was already packed with activities.  It was the perfect setting for Dad's funeral luncheon.  He liked to eat there and had taken us there for breakfast the last time we visited.  

The room was perfect and there was plenty of room for everyone.  

Dad would have LOVED Morgan's hat.  

Grandma and Amanda

The Cannon crew

Shaun and Kathy

BreElle, George and Waylan

Amanda, Carol and Sam

Morgan, Eric' fiance, Eric

Chris and Jenny

Harrison and Andrew

Adalyn and David

Jalisa and Isabelle

Mark and Rachel (Justin was home with baby Ruby)

Katie, Nate and Kimber

Shaun and Chris

Grandma with the Ferree gang before they left. 

After the luncheon, several of us went back to Mom's house to take care of the flowers.  We had dropped them off between the graveside and the luncheon.  We all got busy taking pictures of the arrangements so Mom could write thank you notes.  We also pulled the flower arrangements apart so we could dry the flowers and remember the day.  

Amanda and her family sent these to Grandma (and Grandpa) for Christmas.  The arrived a few days before the funeral.  

Mom picked all the flowers for this arrangement because they were Dad's favorites.  We wanted to help preserve these as much as we could for Mom.  It was a stunning arrangement.  

Katie making an arrangement to take home.  

We hung the flowers to dry in the bathroom.  

Laura took some home to dry at her house as well.  

Dad Memories from around the house

I spent a lot of time just walking around and taking pictures of all the things that I wanted to remember about Dad

His art corner

His fishing cabinet

His Trump dammit doll.  You can also see Snoopy down below and his University of Utah fan. 

Dad was known as the "duck whisperer" in his housing complex.  Read the following story to find out why.  

Dad's collection of old medicine bottles.  Growing up I had to dust these every week, but I loved it because they are so interesting.  

His work bench out in the garage.  I love the sticker in the upper right-hand corner - "Everyone is born right-handed.  Only the greatest overcome it."

West High School graduate

I LOVE that the last tape he was listening to in his tape player was Waylon and Willie

For the funeral, I created a slide show of picture memories.  My sisters sent me their pictures as well and I had to laugh because we all had the same idea about what pictures were meaningful to us.  Below are the pictures they sent me. 

This showed up in my Facebook feed a couple of days after the funeral.  It is my dad all in one picture

I love you, Dad, and will miss you!