Kurt Weaver

Kurt Stoddard Weaver
June 2, 1943 - Feb 18, 2012. Kurt Stoddard Weaver was born on June 2, 1943 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up with 3 brothers and 2 sisters and parents that he loved dearly. He spent his early years growing up in Logan, Utah. Kurt’s children were raised on stories he often told about him and his brother Kimball floating down the Logan river, fishing and camping out under the stars and catching butterflies. Kurt loved all sports and was a natural athlete as he enjoyed swimming and played baseball, football and basketball. He often told stories of how he and Kimball would attend most of the Utah State games by sneaking in.
He was 13 years old when his family moved to Cedar City, UT where his father got a teaching job at Southern Utah College in the Art Department. Kurt graduated from Cedar City High School in 1961. Soon after graduation, his father obtained a teaching position at Brigham Young University and the family moved a few hours north for their final move to Orem, Utah in 1961.
Although Kurt’s heart and allegiance remained loyal to Utah State, he went to BYU where his father taught. He attended college for a year before choosing to depart on a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in Sydney, Australia. At the completion of his mission, he returned to BYU to finish his education. It was during his college years at BYU where he met his future wife Nancy Curtin on a blind date.
Nancy worked as a life guard and swim instructor at the Riverside Country Club in Provo. A mutual friend wanted to set them up but before Kurt would consent to the date, he wanted to check Nancy out. He was able to watch her through a fence at the pool while she was life guarding. Nancy didn’t have the same privilege of having a sneak peak but she said she fell in love with him on their first date. His personality was fun and charismatic and he made her laugh! Everyone loved to be around him. They were married one year later on June 25, 1966 in the Manti temple.
Kurt graduated from BYU in 1968 and immediately enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was with the Counter Intelligence Espionage Group stationed in Washington D.C. where he worked at the Pentagon. During his service, three of their children were born Taressa, Bond, and Shonna.
After he was discharged from the Army in 1971, he obtained a job with the Boy Scouts of Americas as a professional scouter. His first position in the Scouts took the family to live in Scottsbluff, Nebraska as a District Executive (in the Wyo-Braska Area Council). Colby and Tyson were born in Nebraska. Kurt advanced and accepted an offer as Council Executive in the Santa Fe Trail Area Council in Garden City, Kansas. It was while in Kansas that Kurt obtained some great professional experience but also developed spiritually as well while he served in the District Presidency and as Branch President for several years. The last three children, Trent, Travis and Lyndsay, were born in Kansas. It was also in Kansas that the family’s athletic interests peaked. Kurt coach every child’s team, installed basketball hoops in their yard and spent countless hours playing ball with them. He also made it a point to teach the gospel and insured that his children, although alone as members of the church in their schools, developed the courage to stand for what they believed and to keep their standards. In 1984, when their oldest child was 15 years old and their youngest was 2, the family decided to relocate to Southern California where he accepted a job as the Long Beach Area Council Boy Scout Executive. He believed in the Boy Scout program and what it stood for and how it could help shape young men’s lives. Kurt retired after 30 plus years of service. He has encouraged all of his grandsons to advance in the scouting program and to strive to obtain their Eagle Scout.
Retirement provided other opportunities for Kurt to serve and reach out to others. He served at the Bishop’s storehouse Fountain Valley, CA for a few years and gained a great appreciation for how the church provides for those in need and he also forged deep friendships with those he served with. His children quickly came to learn how much he loved his service there as he shared many stories about the people he was able to meet and assist. The grandchildren have fond memories of going to the storehouse to help grandpa in the warehouse and loved the tours he would take them on through the facility. Kurt was proud of how the church helps lift other’s burdens and steps in to assist others during challenging times.
Kurt was a very passionate man. All that knew him felt his passion for his FAMILY, his CHURCH and our great COUNTRY. He loved to read and he treasured the many books that line his shelves which he considered vehicles that transported him back to the time periods he loved- Roman history, the American Revolution, the Civil War, Early church history and Biblical times. Then he sought out every opportunity to go visit the sites that he had read about. He and Nancy were saving to re-visit Italy at the completion of the Rome Temple and planned to experience Jerusalem together.
It was evident to all how much Kurt loved his country. To him, America and democracy were not to be taken lightly. He was proud to have had the opportunity to serve his country and believed the constitution of the United States was inspired by God and its principals need to be defended. He installed a flag pole in each house they lived in. For years he raised the flag daily and took it down at night. It was important to him to teach his children and grandchildren how to properly care for, respect and fold the flag. This past week, the family has flown his flag at half mass.
Anyone that knew Kurt knew exactly where he stood morally and politically and what team he would be cheering for when RED and BLUE were battling. He attended hundreds of BYU games in his lifetime and traveled hundreds of miles to watch them play! He was true BLUE, through and through! It was common place to have several young men and friends cram into the Weaver family room to watch a BYU game together. Many were impressed with how many phone calls he would get during the games from his brother Kimball or from one of his five sons to critic plays and discuss game strategy.
Kurt was very involved with all eight of his children’s activities- especially their sports activities. All eight of them played basketball at Cypress High School. He not only attended every possible game but often showed up at their practices as well. The family has often joked that there must be an imprint of his backside in the bleachers after decades of attending games. Four of his eight children played collegic basketball and he traveled great distances to watch them compete and then turn right around and travel home. He has continued this with his grandchildren as well.
Several times a day Kurt would tell Nancy he loved her. Daily calls went out to his children to chat and just catch up on their lives or check in on grandchildren but every conversation ended with him telling them how much he loved them and how proud he is of them. In return, their response would be, “I love you too, Pops”.
This past week has been tough. Kurt left us earlier than we would have liked. We will miss him but he left with no regrets in his relationship with his Father, his 5 siblings, his wife, his 8 children and his 23 grandchildren and among his many friends. He was a loving husband and father and friend to so many.