Walter Dee Weaver

1927 - 2025

Walter Dee Weaver

December 31, 1927 - May 2, 2025

Walter Dee Weaver, 97, of North Platte, passed away on May 2, 2025, at home surrounded by his loving family.

Walter was born in Callaway on Dec. 31, 1927, to Walter Lee and Anna (Dee) Weaver.

Before graduating from high school, Walt felt a calling to serve his country. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and joined the Marines in 1945 in hopes of joining the fight against the Axis Powers in World War II. Though he was unable to participate in WWII, he served faithfully for four years, developing a hardworking mindset and a rigid sense of right and wrong, which made him into the man everyone knew. After his discharge in 1949, Walter was called back to active duty to fight in the Korean War. There he served from 1950 to 1951, excelling in the flight of Vought F4U Corsairs, before returning home. Back in the U.S., Walt returned to Nebraska to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. There he met the love of his life, Karen Jacobs, in July 1959, and they were wed on Dec. 19, 1959. To this union were born their beloved sons, Bob, Bill and Tom.

Walter graduated with his Bachelor of Science in 1960 and went on to achieve his Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in 1962. After graduating, he served as deputy prosecuting attorney in Lancaster County until 1968. He served as the Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice before becoming a professor at the College of Public Affairs of the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1971. In 1974, he again shifted careers, becoming corporate secretary and general counsel to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska in Omaha as well as acting president, corporate transportation officer, and senior vice president of the legal and customer service division. He became the Director of the Department of Insurance of the State of Nebraska in 1977. He was also nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be Federal Insurance Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1981. After an extremely successful legal career, he retired.

Though he retired, Walt was never one to sit idle. He kept busy working for Olson Construction, building many things, including bridges, sewage treatment plants, and large road projects across the country. He constructed deer stands for his children, which are currently being used by his grandchildren. Many of these stands will outlast the people he built them for due to his tedious and sturdy construction. He also had an appreciation for trucks and four-wheelers, often buying new ones. He was 93 when he made his last trip to Moab, driving a RZR for Karen and Ellen Kennedy. Throughout his life, he made multiple trips to Moab, the Black Hills, and Wyoming to test their capabilities. Though his job and hobbies kept him busy, Walt always made time for his family. They will always remember his kind and stoic nature, his insatiable appetite for reading, and his adventurous spirit. He leaves them with many fond memories, including a particularly scenic road trip to Alaska along the ALCAN Highway.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Anna Weaver.

Those left to Cherish Walt's memory are his wife, Karen Weaver; sons, Bob (Deb) Weaver, Bill (Sharon) Weaver and Tom (Jen) Weaver; grandchildren, Erin (Tyler) Rowland, Christopher Weaver and Sarah Weaver; sister, Betty (Ed) Cook; and numerous other family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family for future designation.

Graveside service is at noon on Saturday, May 10, at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Plattsmouth, with the Rev. Sean Timmerman officiating. Carpenter Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements and Brian P. Harvey Funeral Home will be assisting with the burial.