John Marsh Weichhart

John Marsh Weichhart Sept. 20 1924 - Nov. 14 2010 Former Resident of Alameda Died peacefully in his sleep after a long battle suffering the affects of a stroke. He died on the Island of Kauai with his wife, Betty, at his side. John moved to the island of Kauai from the island of Alameda when be retired in 2003. John was a fourth generation Alamedan. His great grandparents immigrated to the Alameda in the late 1800's. His great grandfather Adolph Hecker had one of the first streetlights in Alameda outside of his hardware store on Webster Street. Mr. Hecker was one of ones responsible for renaming Railroad Avenue to Lincoln Ave. John's grandfather Henry A. Weichhart was the mayor of Alameda in the early 1940's. John's father Henry L Weichhart started Fairmont Manufacturing which later became Weichhart Stamping Company, which his son Rex now runs. John was in the Army Air Corp during WWII and was honorably discharged in order to run the family business when his father died. John married Betty J. Bland in 1947 and was married to her for 63 years. John and Betty moved to Oakland where they raised their 4 children, Wendy, Mardy, Rex, and John Jr. John moved back to Alameda before retiring and moving to Kauai. John was involved in many organizations including St. John's Episcopal Church in Oakland where he sang in the choir was a lay minister and served on the Vestry many times. He was also on the Board of Directors for the International Maritime Center (IMC). The IMC is an ecumenical organization that ministers to seafarers from around the world when their ships are in port. John loved spending time with his family and opening up his home on Sunday evenings to others including students From the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He also loved spending time in his garden and walking his dog and reminiscing about stories that meant so much throughout his life. He is survived by his wife Betty, his four children, daughter in-laws Susan and Stacy; son in law Jay, seven grand children, Hollea, Heidi, Gretchen, Ivan, Hans, Liesl and 6th generation Alamedan Henry; and seven great grandchildren, Vanessa, Noe Jr., Angela, Brian, Jessica, Jack and Dylan. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday November 27 at 3:00 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Oakland, 1707 Gouldin Rd., Oakland, CA. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in John's memory to SCI-Bay Area (formerly the International Maritime Center) in Oakland, (510) 839-2226.