Weldon Barnett Williams

Weldon was one of my best friends in high school. He was only 6 months older than me, and we got up to a lot of trouble together. I will miss him!

I feel lucky to have grown up in the Pleasant View neighborhood in Provo, where Weldon also grew up. Weldon and my older brother, Mike, were good friends. Weldon's brother, Reed, was my age, and the four of us often hung out together and did fun things like listen to music and create entertaining characters and conversations to inhabit the local CB radio channels.


I had the good fortune to reconnect with Weldon during recent months. During our visits together, we would talk about and share music we liked and reminisce about people and events in the old neighborhood. He enjoyed talking about the past, and that was just fine with me. One of the things he told me recently was that Earl Prete, who taught Utah History at Farrer Junior High, was his favorite teacher at Farrer. I had Mr. Prete for Utah History, as well, but about five years after Weldon did. And I agree that it was a memorable class.


I remember that, when Weldon's mother died back in the mid-1980s, it hit him pretty hard. I like to think that the two of them are getting reacquainted now, along with his father, whom he lost so much earlier when he was still just a little kid.

I spent a lot of time at the William's home hanging out with Reed and sometimes Weldon. We would often call Mike Harris down to play 2 on 2 basketball, as well as 2 on 2 snow football in the front yard in the winter (kids don't feel the cold).
Weldon was fun to hang out with would be good for ride when I needed to go somewhere before I got my license. I purchased my first 10 speed bicycle (a new novelty at the time) from Weldon, which I can still remember in detail.
Weldon was an important part of my youthful years and will miss him.