Mabel O. Weaver: 1910 - 2005

My great-grandmother passed away last week at the age of 95. She had been the last living relative who I'd always known my entire life as being "old." Even when I was a child, she and my great-grandfather were already living in a retirement community. Back then she already had white hair and always wore one of those clear plastic things on her head that old ladies where when it rains. I remember my father putting up a railing on the steps of our old front porch for when she came to visit--we moved out of that house in 1985! I never knew if she had ever had a job, and I never saw her drive a car. In my lifetime I knew her as a kind old lady who loved playing pinochle with my grandparents and parents for hours on end. Unlike my grandfather, who passed away after battling Alzheimer's disease, my great-grandmother's mind was still sharp until the end. It was her body that finally failed, but it is a wonderful blessing that she was able to enjoy her many years as a senior citizen for longer than I have been alive. Below is her obituary, as printed in the Chambersburg Public Opinion:

CHAMBERSBURG — Mabel O. Weaver, 95, of Chambersburg, died Wednesday, April 6, 2005, in The Shook Home, Chambersburg.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Eber S. Weaver.

Surviving are two daughters, Patricia Finkenbinder of Fort Ashby, W.Va., and Deborah Haverstock of Chambersburg; and a son, E. Richard of Chambersburg.

Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Lincoln Cemetery, Chambersburg. The Rev. Lester F. Stine will officiate. Viewing will be private.

The family requests the omission of flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Good Shepherd, 2700 Luther Drive, Chambersburg 17201.

Arrangements are by Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home Inc., Chambersburg.

Originally published April 7, 2005

[UPDATE: A second obituary was published in the Herald-Mail...]

Mabel O. Weaver, 95

JAN. 17, 1910-APRIL 6, 2005

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Mabel O. Weaver, 95, of Chambersburg died Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at the Shook Home.

Born Jan. 17, 1910, in Chambersburg, she was the daughter of the late John C. and Margaret Rockwell Mackling.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Eber S. Weaver.

She was a seamstress at Stanley Clothing Co., and with her husband, managed the former Greyhound Bus Station on Third Street in Chambersburg.

She attended King Street United Brethren Church.

She is survived by two daughters, Patricia Finkenbinder of Fort Ashby, W.Va., and Deborah Haverstock of Chambersburg; one son, E. Richard Weaver of Chambersburg; one sister, Sophia Fowler of Pikesville, Md.; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Graveside services will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Cemetery. The Rev. Lester F. Stine will officiate.

The viewing will be private.

The family requests the omission of flowers.

Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of the Good Shepherd, 2700 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17201.

Arrangements are by Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home in Chambersburg.