Harry Clark Weller's Obituary
Beloved
Harry Clark Weller was born with difficulty on September 24, 1923. No one was sure he would survive, but he was a survivor! and always practiced those strong survivor skills.
These words of the old song were his mantra;
Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again.
His brother Charles was born in 1926, Jerry in 1932, Lee in 1933, and a sister Virginia in 1934.
Living his childhood during the depression, his family encountered many difficulties. Harry W., his father, lost his job and when Harry C. was a very little boy he remembered shoveling sidewalks of snow and giving the few pennies to his mother to help with the buying of food.
When brother Jerry died at age three, his head was devoid of hair due to a necessary surgical procedure.. They cut curls from Harry's hair and placed them under a small cap to make Jerry more presentable. That experience and the loss of this beautiful little boy he loved made a painfully deep and lasting impression.
At age 14 he spent the summer working on a farm. His pay was a dime for a Saturday movie and vegetables for the family table.
He often was left in charge of his younger siblings and altho his was a childhood filled with many responsibilities, he speaks of that stage of life with joy and many happy memories. His only sorrow being the difficulties his mother and father shared and the toll that it took on the family.
He graduated high school and while still working toward his diploma, he was employed in a neighborhood grocery store stocking shelves and bagging groceries. This is where Teresa and Harry first met as her mother shopped in this same store.
By this time his parents had gone their separate ways. The family was living with Grandfather Charles Clark now and Harry often reflected on helping re-build Grandad's house and the respect he had for this gentleman.
He joined the Air Force Aviation Cadet training group in December of 1942. He was assigned to the 367th Fighter Group of the 394th Fighter squadron as an arrmorer. He spent a year and a half in the European field of operations and was honorably discharged in November of 1945 with several medals to his credit.
Harry and Teresa became acquainted in the spring of 1946. They were married in December of that same year.
In September of 1948 they welcomed daughter Deborah Lynn into their lives. And in December 1951 Wendy Sue their second daughter arrived. There was never a man who loved his children more than Harry. Through out the raising of his children many people commented on his complete involvement and obvious pride... including their pediatrician who stated he had never seen another man as caring and involved as Harry was.
Having loved Florida when in training there during WWII , he always dreamed of someday living there. That dream became a reality when in 1954 the family left Michigan and moved to Orlando.
It was everything he had hoped and the family loved the relaxed atmosphere, the warm winters and the water. He always loved being around the water and boats from the time he was a little boy with an innertube, a board for a seat another for the paddle, and a sheet for a sail
.
He built a small runabout in 1957 and it was as nice to look at as it was practical. The family learned a great deal about nature and the Florida waterways during those years.
He had joined the Sentinel Star Newspaper in 1955 and worked for them for more than 31 years. He was a great salesman! and received many letters of acknowledgement and kudo’s during his career. In fact on Cocoa Beach (where he was transferred in 1959) he was lauded as the most honest man in town.
He loved Cocoa Beach and the ocean and lived just half a mile from the beach during those years..
Harry was a builder as well as a gifted artist in many fields. Give him a pencil and paper and he could draw you a detailed and in perspective drawing of nearly anything .
Give him a piece of wood and he could turn it into a thing of beauty as well as something useful. Be it large or small in scale.
There was nothing he couldn’t make or fix....and if he were in doubt, he found a book and taught himself.
When it came to math he was a whiz. He never bothered with a calculator in order to figure percentages, he just did them in his head, and faster than another person could with a calculator. The algebra we all complained about in school, he applied many times in order to work out problems.
He purchased a travel trailer in 1971 and always enjoyed the woods and being outdoors.
In 1979 thoughts of retirement were becoming more prevalent and having a larger boat went hand and hand with those thoughts. Another dream came to fruition and he was able to purchase his sailboat
before he retired. He loved that boat and turned it into a very efficient pocket cruiser. He and Teresa sailed to many places on the west coast of Florida, also to the Bahamas, Marquesas and to the Dry Tortugas.
Harry was a true optimist! Hardly ever did he arise that he did not say what a beautiful day it was...even when the sun was hiding and the rain was being delivered in torrents.
He looked forward to, and was able to retire in February of 1986. He had moved to Leesburg by then and . to his and Teresa’s joy daughter Wendy and family moved too and lived right next door. The two families enjoyed many things together and became more as if they were one large family.
In May of 1986 it was discovered he needed by-pass heart surgery. He breezed through that with his usual vigor and within 4 weeks was on roller skates doing all kinds of things he really should not have been doing.
He purchased a small canoe and was going to start fly-fishing again. About this time the two families decided it would be fun to go back to camping and so many happy times were spent on the water and in campgrounds enjoying the wildlife and the beauty of nature.
Never being one to sit by while there was work to be done, he worked diligently on his home and yard. He decided, because he was retired, that Teresa should be retired also, and so he took on many duties around the house that normally would be hers.
Harry loved life. More so than the majority of the population. His goal was to live to be a hundred. His positive attitude was sometimes unbelievable to those around him. He could not walk thru a room in his home without commenting on how much he loved it. As he said, “I may live in a big tin box, but it is beautiful because it is filled with love and the joy that was shared in the creation of the many things that we (himself and Teresa) had built together”. .
But most of all, he loved his family. In over 60 years of marriage Teresa never once doubted his love for her or their children.
Not everyone was aware of the depths of this man for he was a very private person. Though he was completely open with his wife, he kept much of his pain and/or hurt hidden from others. He was also known as something of a lone wolf. He needed time to himself to recharge and sort thru his feelings.
He was loyal to those he loved and bore a strict moral code, by which he lived, in every way large and small. That was just one facet of his character. He had a great sense of humor. He loved a good story and he loved to laugh. Sometimes he laughed ‘till the tears ran down his cheeks. Lots of people laugh and have a great sense of humor, but his went further. He could laugh at himself..... without a moments hesitation.
If you had a problem go to Harry. And we all did....many times. Not necessarily would he hand you a solution, but he would help you see things in a more logical fashion enabling you to find your own solution. His stock answer was not what he thought you should do, but what he would do if it were him and we sometimes wondered how those shoulders could carry some of the weight that was placed on them.
And how he loved to tell stories....Times when he was a little boy. His adventures in the service of his country, interesting things regarding his ancestors, and his boating exploits. It was obvious, he enjoyed not just the telling, but the reliving and the hearing of them himself. And that’s a known fact because he told many of them many times. Where ever he is he would be laughing loudly at that one.
Harry’s physical presence is no longer with us in this world, but his spirit and his memory will never leave those who knew and loved him. He is a rare gift to us all for he truly was a GOOD man in every sense of the word.
He left a wife, who loves, cherishes, and adores him. Two daughters, 3 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and two great,great, grandchildern.
SONNET by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight.
For the ends of Being, and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my Lost saints—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life —and, if God choose,
1 shall but love thee better after death.
What’s your fondest memory of Harry?
What’s a lesson you learned from Harry?
Share a story where Harry's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Harry you’ll never forget.
How did Harry make you smile?