The man, the myth, the legend, Bruce Martin Weber was born February 1, 1950 and piloted his final flight on September 28, 2021. Bruce was born to Donald (Duck) and Dorothy (Mickey) Weber. He was the 3rd of 11 children. Rumor has it that he was the favorite child (but let's just keep that between us). As most are aware, Dad was born and raised in Teutopolis, a town that he could not praise enough for its emphasis on family as the most important thing in life. In addition to his emphasis on family, there were so many other qualities that Bruce was known for. The most outstanding were his generosity and kindness towards others, his joy in living life to the fullest, and his way of delivering an insult through sarcasm while still making you want to stick around. He was the type of person that never based his life on what he had, but instead what he did. Whether it was delivering meals on wheels, visiting those in the nursing homes or attending prayer services at the hospital, he loved spending his time helping others. We will never forget the time he even gave his truck away to a stranger who needed a vehicle. While mom may have thought differently at that exact moment when he arrived home, we can all agree that he was a true angel.

He was always consistent in defying the odds. Between moving across the U.S. to pursue his dream, raising 8 children (somewhat successfully), and miraculously surviving a plane crash, he truly was a superhero. In January 2021, Bruce was told that he didn't have much time, however, he had other plans. Fast forward to now and, once again, he proved to be as stubborn and tough as anyone around. I cannot think of anything that he wanted to do that he could not achieve. To paraphrase something someone once told us: "Your dad is one of the greatest people I have ever known. He was the type of person that you would cross the street to say hello to." That was such a proud moment.

It is easy in life to complain about the cards that we are dealt. If there was anyone who taught us the lesson of handling what life gives you, it was dad. In all the years after his accident, we never once heard him complain about what happened. He simply made the best of what he had. Now don't get us wrong, there were a handful of times that he was frustrated, and something may have been thrown or said, but he handled what happened better than anyone could have ever imagined. He was always so much fun and we were so lucky to have a teacher/father/husband/friend who taught us that life is about hard work, family, God, fun, and most importantly, living every moment to its fullest.

Bruce graduated Teutopolis High School in 1968. He was an avid tennis player and a great friend to many. After graduating, he went on to study at the University of Illinois. Soon after, he left to join the U.S. Army and was stationed in Turkey. He served in the military from 1969-1971. He continued at the University of Illinois after his service and graduated with both an Aviation and Bachelor of Science degree. After graduating, he moved back to Teutopolis where he worked at the family store (Weber's Jewelry) until taking his dream job with the U.S. Border Patrol. He was quickly promoted which kept us moving around from California to Arizona. True to our dad's adventurous nature, he made the best of these moves. We made so many great memories and so many friendships that we will treasure forever. We spent Sundays at the beach whenever possible even if it meant driving an hour there and back in a single day. We took day trips up into the mountains to go sled riding (counseling may have been warranted as dad would pretend he was on a high speed chase or back up a car along the edge of the mountain until you couldn't see the road under the car and everyone was screaming). Of course, his greatest joy came with taking us up in the plane as his co-pilots to share in his love of the sky.

Dad remained in the Border Patrol from 1982-1986 with great success until his plane accident which forced him to medically retire at the young age of 37. He was on the job doing what he loved while searching for some prisoners who had escaped from a Federal immigration Detention Center. He was hospitalized with a severe frontal lobe injury, a broken neck and foot, and in a coma. The doctors called him a "Miracle Man" and boy were they right. After a few years of different therapies, medication to help with frontal lobe issues, surgeries, and a lot of support from friends and family, we had dad back (almost as good as before). We all moved back to Illinois from Arizona and the rest is history. We have often said that although this event totally altered our lives and seemed devastating at the time, God had a plan and we would not be who we are as a family without all that we went through and the exceptional examples that he and Mom set for us.

Dad was a man of many talents and one of the hardest workers around. If he was not working his job, he was spending his days and nights around the house completing any project that he could. He spent so many days and nights fixing up our house. He and mom taught us how to do everything around the house. Whether it was cooking, cleaning, woodwork, electric, brickwork or yardwork, we learned it all. Many would call this child labor, but they said they were teaching us life skills. Truthfully, we are so lucky they took the time to teach us these things.

Although he took pride in all his accomplishments, his children and wife were his most treasured of all. Bruce and Karen started dating in 1971 and married in 1975. It didn't take long until they started a family, and once they started, some thought they would never stop. Throughout their marriage and journey, both showed us what a true marriage is made of. The respect and unconditional love that they showed for each other is something that most people dream of. Aside from his family, some of his other loves were milkshakes, all you can eat buffets (Ryan's most certainly lost money when he ate more than he weighed), swimming, lake/beach days, smoking cigarettes, and of course flying.

Bruce leaves behind his best friend and wife Karen (Esker) Weber and 8 children: Neil (Michele), Nicole (Manny) Trupiano, Dean (Danielle), Dawn (Tim) Countryman, Brent (Melissa), Jason (Ellie), Bryce (Mallory) and Kayla (Corey) McMahan. He will be sorely missed by his 23 grandchildren. He also leaves behind his beautiful mother, Dorothy (Mickey) Weber, and 10 siblings: Don (Debbie), Richard (Patricia, deceased), Susie (Rob) Bothwell, Kurt (Pat), Kevin (Debbie), Jim (Meino), Keith (Barb), Carol (George) Cohorst, Ted (Cindy), Todd (Kim).

He was preceded in death by Emma (Grannie) Kralman and his father Donald C. (Duck) Weber.

We will be having a private family service at St. Francis Church on Thursday morning to celebrate his life and we appreciate all your thoughts and prayers during this painful time.

In lieu of flowers please donate to one of Bruce's charities: CEFS, HSHS Hospice, or Community Support Systems (CSS).

https://www.cefseoc.org/meals-on-wheels-of-cefs csscares.org

A special thanks and hugs to all the amazing nurses who put up with Bruce the past 9 months (we loved all you did for us) and Arlene Fehrenbacher who spent many hours keeping him out of trouble while we took some time off to play catch up. You all hold a special place in our hearts.

We will miss your smile, big heart and mostly having you here with us. We were so blessed to have you as our dad and will hold you close to our hearts for the rest of our lives. Fly high Dad and enjoy your best view yet.