Name: Celebration of Life for Theodore Weber
Start: 2023-03-05T19:00:00.000Z
Location: Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church Sanctuary on the Emory University Campus

WEBER, Rev. Dr.

Theodore

Rev. Dr. "Herr Professor," Theodore "Ted" Weber was born on June 6, 1928 in New Orleans, LA and joined the Great Cloud of Witnesses on February 25, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Louis Weber and Margret Worthington Weber; and sister, Peggy Weber Bubar. He is survived by his loving and creative wife, Mildred "Mudie" Overstrom Weber, who stood faithfully by his side for 68 beautiful years; and his sons, Theodore Eric Weber and wife Frances, of Round Rock, Texas and Rev. Dr. Robert Alan Weber and wife Stacy, of Atlanta, Georgia. Ted was very proud of his grandsons, Matthew Darren Weber, and wife Bridget, Brian Alexander Weber, and wife Lauren, and Jonathan Robert Weber; along with 4 great-grandchildren who knew him fondly as "Opa."

He completed his graduate and doctoral work at Yale Divinity, but his loyalty to his alma mater, LSU, kept him saying "Geaux Tigers" year after year. Ted was Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University, where he taught for thirty-nine years. A clergy member of the Louisiana United Methodist Conference, Dr. Weber served pastorates in Louisiana and Connecticut, as acting chaplain of Emory University (during the time Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated), and as a member of the ministerial staff of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, UK. He lectured and preached widely in the United States, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. A former president of the Society of Christian Ethics in the U.S. and Canada, he also authored Politics in the Order of Salvation; Transforming Wesleyan Political Ethics (Nashville: Abingdon, c. 2001), War, Peace, and Reconciliation: A Theological Inquiry (Wipf and Stock, c. 2016), and John Wesley's Perfection Questions. When asked where Ted and Mudie would retire, their answer was an easy one; "right here." They cherish the Emory/Candler/Glenn Memorial UMC community that has been family to them for over 65 years. Now the 5 wives of the "Young Turks," who committed with their husbands to stay at Candler and see it into the prestigious institution it is today, stand together as they send the final member of "the Candler Five" to spend eternity with an Eternal and Loving God. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in Ted's honor to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church.

The Celebration of Ted's life will be held Sunday, March 5, 2023 at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church Sanctuary on the Emory University Campus. A Time of Fellowship will continue in the Sanctuary after the service.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Mar. 2, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Theodore Weber

Sponsored by A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.

4 Entries

David Moore

March 10, 2023

Dr. Weber was the father of my good friend in high school, Eric. I remember his kindness when I was visiting in his home. Then while I was traveling in Europe as a college student, Dr. and Mrs. Weber hosted me for several days in Munich where he was on sabbatical. Lastly, I had Dr. Weber as a wonderful professor for my ethics class when I was a student at Candler. I am grateful to God to have known and been blessed by Dr. Weber.
David Moore
Druid Hills High School 1976
Candler School of Theology 1985

Rick Whittington

March 8, 2023

A kind and generous man.

Bruce Perkins

March 6, 2023

Ted Weber: The early years
By Bruce Perkins
I am the eldest of Ted´s three nephews, and I believe I am the last person alive who knew the young Ted. I was born in 1940, when Ted was twelve years old, and from the age of five, I was raised in our pre-civil war home in Mandeville, Louisiana, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain by Ted´s parents, Bob and Margaret Weber.
The best that I can piece it together is that the family lived in Mandeville prior to World War II and during the early years of the war. Somewhere, there is a picture of Ted and his best friend, Howard Dockstader, in their scout uniforms in Mandeville. As perhaps a two-year old, I was presenting them with nipples for the war effort! Ted was an Eagle Scout and looked quite impressive in his uniform.
Mandeville, with its simple lifestyle, the lakefront with its ancient moss-covered live oaks, and the lake itself, was a great place for a young man. Ted could catch shrimp, crabs, and fish right from the seawall, and a family friend, who was a fisherman of French descent, owned several skiffs and also took care of a sailboat, the Navajo, for some people from New Orleans. Ted took full advantage of his environment, including the only Protestant church, which was just around the corner.
Sometime during the war, the family moved back across the lake to New Orleans where Ted´s parents worked in the war effort building PT boats PBY amphibious aircraft. My mother, Peggy Weber Perkins, worked for Grace Line Steamship Company and served as an air-raid warden whose job was to pull an outdoor switch on businesses during "blackouts", thus turning off all the lights. Ted attended Fortier High School, where, I was told, he completed his high school education two years early. He obtained a special work permit so that he could work for the Federal Land Bank for a year before attending LSU.
During the war, Grace Line (now W. R. Grace) moved its headquarters from New Orleans to New York City. My mother and I moved to New York with the company, and I did not return to Louisiana until 1946. My mother returned to New York and left me with my grandparents (Ted´s parents) in the old family home in Mandeville.
I was enrolled in the first grade in Mandeville High School, which included all grade levels, while Ted was attending LSU. Since neither the family nor Ted had an automobile, Ted would hitchhike between Mandeville and Baton Rouge, a distance of about ninety miles. He had a giant LSU sticker emblazoned on his old suitcase. That emblem informed drivers that he was an LSU student; people were happy to give rides to students in those days, and his system worked rather efficiently. Some years later, Ted even hitchhiked from Mandeville to Yale in Connecticut!
At LSU, Ted participated in campus politics and was a member of Phi-Delta-Theta fraternity, of which he was always proud. He also lived in the Pan-American house, which served students from Latin America. This was a special honor, as an American was paired with a Latin American roommate so both could learn the other´s language. Ted became fluent in Spanish, and he would occasionally bring his roommate Hugo home with him on weekends.
While I was in elementary school, Ted would often ride the circuit with the Methodist minister, Robert Carter, who preached on Sundays in several rural churches scattered around the parish. Rev. Carter would drop off Ted at some rural church on his way out and pick him up as he completed his preaching circuit. So, Ted had the opportunity to preach in a number of those churches. Sometimes hogs would gather under the sanctuary during services or dogs would walk in. A few years ago, Ted told me of an incident at Waldheim Methodist Church. Apparently, when Ted arrived at the church, he realized that he had forgotten his Bible. He was comforted when he remembered that a large Bible rested on the pulpit; he was discomforted when he opened it and found that it was in German!
As has been noted elsewhere, Ted moved on to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to found a new church. He also worked on a master´s degree at the local college. During that time, we would rarely see him, although he occasionally showed up driving his new car, a Henry J. From Lake Charles, he moved on to New Haven to earn his doctorate at Yale. From then on, we saw him less often, although my grandmother and I did get to attend his and Mudie´s wedding. From that point, others have picked up the story.
When I was a boy, Ted was like the big brother I never had. He was always an encouraging role model who demonstrated that one could accomplish much with few financial resources. He was always a good loving son to his parents, and he has been an exemplary husband and father, demonstrating what a Christian family should be. And although he was the renowned scholar, he demonstrated the true humility of a servant of Christ.

Jim Sanders

March 2, 2023

Dr. Weber was my advisor at Candler from the fall of 1979 - the spring of 1982. Looking back, I´m sure he must of wondered what God was going to do with me. I was a theological hot mess. God used him mightily in my life and today I am greatly saddened to read of his death. Through my 42 years of ministry as a pastor of the AL W. FL Conference, I have been nourished by the waters of faith he provided. Inhale Faith; Exhale Fear. Jim Sanders

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