Donald Herbert Weiler

Donald Herbert Weiler, 74, entered eternal rest on Monday, May 22, 2023. Don was born in Jamaica, New York, on August 15, 1948, son of the late Herbert A. and Elaine C. (Bancroft) Weiler, He was the oldest of four siblings, who were all happy to have Don as their older brother and protector.  He spent his early years on Long Island, NY, attending schools in Oceanside and graduating from Seaford High School in 1966. While there he developed his strong passion for music, baseball, and the NY Yankees. Don was like a human “google” when it came to music.  He could tell who was singing what song, what band they were in previously, and when the song came out. He had an extensive collection of albums (now called “vintage vinyl”) and CDs. There was always an eclectic collection of music playing in his house and wherever he traveled, and he always wanted to share it with you (sometimes whether you wanted to hear it or not).  

After graduating from high school, Don was drafted into the US Army and after taking many aptitude tests, it was discovered that he had a talent for communication operations. To take advantage of this specialty training, he enlisted for an additional year and began training as a signal communication specialist where he attained the rank of SP4. Don served from 1968 and was honorably discharged in 1971 with one year in Vietnam at a communication outpost. He was proud of his service, often wearing his Vietnam Veteran’s cap. 

After his military discharge, Don lived in the Blandford/Russell area the rest of his life. He retired from the Mt. Tom Box Company where he was a machine operator for many years. His biggest accomplishments though, were his sons: Todd and James, his connection to people, friends from his job, friends from his community (you know who you are), his cousins and his siblings. When he met Phyllis, he was ecstatic to have a traveling partner. He loved traveling to Maine, Myrtle Beach, Old Saybrook, Oregon, and any other place they could find an interesting country fair or outside music and wine tasting. One of Don’s bucket list activities was to take his family on an Alaskan cruise. He took this dream trip in August of 2018 with his whole family. Seeing Alaska with his sons and their families by his side was the trip of a lifetime for Don.  

Don leaves two sons: Todd M. Weiler (Jessica) of West Linn, OR; James N. Weiler (Laura) of Portland, OR; a brother and his wife, David (Nina) Weiler of Becket, two sisters and their husbands: Kathleen (Henry) Dubay of Feeding Hills, Lisa (Glenn) Vallejo of Denver, CO, three grandchildren, Ezrah Weiler, Juniper Weiler, and Matilda Weiler, longtime companion Phyllis Wheeler, of Westfield, MA as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins and members of Phyllis’ family who got to know and love him. His gentle manner will be greatly missed. A private service was held at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Agawam, MA. A celebration of Donald’s life will be held at a later date. 

Donations in Don’s memory may be made to the nonprofit veteran’s organization located on-line at: www.projectnewhopema.org . Please scroll down to the Honor/Memorial information and complete with Don’s name so donations will be targeted to his local area. For on-line condolences, please visit www.curranjones.com