WILLIAM J. "BUCK" WEAFER

COLONEL (RET.) WILLIAM J. "BUCK" WEAFER With great sadness, the family of Colonel (Ret.) William J. "Buck" Weafer announces his passing on February 27, 2024. Buck was born on July 17, 1930 in Woburn, MA, the second of three children of William H. Weafer and Agnes E. Corry. He graduated from Woburn High School as the president of his class and went on to attend both MIT and Tufts University before receiving an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating from West Point in 1954, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery. His first order of business was to marry his childhood sweetheart, Marie. As an inseparable team, they went on to serve in the Army for a full 30-year career -- Buck, in uniform and Marie, a dedicated Army wife -- and were very happily married for 69 years until Marie's death in 2023. Their four children were raised with a loving example of their devotion to each other, service and cheerful generosity. Buck's life was heavily influenced by athletics -- he came from a family of great baseball players and he was an outstanding player in his own right. He learned to switch hit in high school and he became an outstanding hitter who was a speed demon on the base paths. He was a starting first baseman at both Tufts and West Point and also ran the 440 yard dash on the track team as a cadet. Later in his Army career, he was assigned as an instructor in the Department of Physical Education at West Point -- a job which he said was the favorite of his Army career. In subsequent military assignments, he became a fitness guru, writing columns in military post newspapers about physical fitness, running, and health long before such things were popular topics. Buck's other military assignments included tours in both Vietnam as an advisor and in Korea with the United Nations Command. He served in command and staff positions at all levels of the Army highlighted by battalion command at Fort Bliss, TX, garrison command in Wiesbaden, Germany, and ROTC Area Command at Fort Riley, KS. His service as US Army Command & General Staff College Class Director ('74-'78) cemented his deep affinity for Fort Leavenworth and the Leavenworth, KS community. Upon Buck's Army retirement in 1984, he and Marie put down roots in Leavenworth, buying and refurbishing a beautiful old house. They went into the antique business, calling it "Buckwheats", while continuing to volunteer for several Fort Leavenworth organizations as well as their parish. As part of their Buckwheats business, they also made "little houses" for military families. Buck estimates he made 22,000 of them over the years -- small painted wooden houses labeled with the names of forts and duty stations around the world where people had been stationed. This business kept them in touch with friends and neighbors in every corner of the globe. Buck also had a masterful green thumb, and most of the homes of their 29-move career were dotted with colorful flower gardens and beautiful landscaping. He was extremely proud of the numerous "Yard of the Year" awards that he won over the years. Buck's life was heavily influenced by both his upbringing and his time at West Point -- he took the Academy's motto of "Duty, Honor, Country" to heart. He was a good and selfless man of great character who treated others fairly and with respect. He was also a superb role model for his children, inspiring both of his sons to attend West Point and become Army officers. Buck is survived by his sons, Tom Weafer (Ann Horner) and Bob Weafer (Lisa); daughters Ann Raney (Tom) and Liz Walling (Todd); seven grandchildren: Douglas Raney (Emma), Jennifer Raney, Kelly Weafer, Kyle Weafer, Sarah Bravo (Heinner), Leah Rettig, Jack Weafer; and one great-granddaughter, Summer Hollenbach. The funeral Mass for Buck will be at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park, KS on Monday, March 4, 2024 at 10:30 AM with a brief visitation preceding the service from 10:00-10:30. Interment services will follow at the Leavenworth National Cemetery at 12:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/BuckWeafer