Christian J. Weber

Christian Joseph Weber , 95, of Elkhart, Indiana, passed peacefully to Heaven on Monday, August 31, 2026 after suffering first a broken arm and then a stroke during the summer. He was just one or two days short of his 96th birthday. He had been unresponsive for some days, but in his final moments, he pursed his lips several times to kiss his devoted wife of 67 years goodbye, and then he breathed his last in her arms surrounded by several of their children and the loving staff at Greenleaf Health Campus.

Christian was born in Defiance, Ohio, to the late Frank Weber and Helen (Goller) Weber on either September 1st or 2nd, 1930. The doctor arrived on September 1st to deliver Christian in the early hours of September 2nd and after the delivering doctor and the new father had a celebratory drink to welcome the 7th child into the family, the doctor left and didn’t record the birth right away. When Christian got married at the age of 29, he realized then that the birthday that he had been celebrating all his life on September 2nd was not actually his LEGAL birthday on his birth certificate; the tipsy doctor had recorded it as the day that he arrived at the house, September 1st, not the day that the baby was born. So Christian is the only person we know who has two birthdays, and we are not sure which one is actually correct!

Waiting in Heaven for him to arrive were his parents, Frank Weber and Helen (Goller) Weber, his brothers Donald, Norbert , Gerald, Francis, Wilfred, and Eugene, and his sister Marjorie. Grandbabies Christian, John Marie, and Grace, and Great-grandbabies Lillian Grace and Christian.

Christian married the love of his life, Anna Rose (Lang) Weber, on September 19, 1959 at Saint Pius in Granger, IN.

Christian was proud to be what he called the “Patriarch” of the legacy he left. Christian is survived by his wife of almost 67 years, Anna Rose (Lang) Weber. Together they built a beautiful family: a son, Mark Weber (Janet) who looks and acts enough like him that we are confident his legacy will live on; four devoted daughters, Julia Glaser (Rick), Mary Stutzman (Scott), Lisa Dawson (John), and Laura Weber. He will be greatly missed by his grandchildren: Andrew (Ariana) Glaser, Elizabeth Glaser, Sarah (Christopher) Leitz, Gregory (Stacy) Stutzman, Adam (Dagmara) Stutzman, Jacob (Cassondra) Stutzman, Matthew (Ellie) Stutzman, Philip (Grace) Stutzman, Jennifer (AJ) Snider, Christopher (Samantha) Dawson, Melissa (Kameron) Beaver, Christian Weber, Joseph Weber, Aaron Weber, Hannah (Ryan) Smith, Nathan (Emily) Weber, Luke (Emma) Weber, Noah Peters, and Gabriel Weber. He was cherished by his great-grandchildren: Aurora, Bella, John, Benjamin, Caitlin, Timothy, Oliver, Caleb, Mackenzie, Jackson, Hailey, baby-girl-Stutzman, Lucia, Magdalene, Francis, Ruth Anna, Theirry, Thorin, Elowyn, Emeryk, Amelia, Nora, Josephine, Elias, Jackson, Adeline, and Alarik. He is also survived by his last living sibling, Roger Weber.

Christian attended Saint John’s Catholic Elementary School, Ayersville High School , Defiance College, and Loyola University. He was drafted into the Army for two years as a medic (1955-57) and was in the Reserves for four years.

He eventually settled in Elkhart, Indiana, where he worked as a chemist at Miles Laboratories. One day a cute secretary noticed him playing bridge at lunch. She decided to learn the game so she could get close to him. They were smitten and soon married and enjoyed being in a bridge club for many years. He spent his career at Miles in the Quality Assurance lab before retiring after more than 40 years.

Christian enjoyed the simple things in life…picking cherry tomatoes which he would eat like candy, maintaining his yard and hoeing weeds in his garden, watching TV, eating fresh oatmeal raisin cookies fresh out of the oven, and reading his daily spiritual readings. He loved popcorn but his nightly ritual was vanilla ice cream, which he ate straight out of the container. His family thinks that was the secret to his long life. He was proud to have accomplished his life-long goal of writing his autobiography, filling it with stories of life during his almost 100 years. Most entertaining were his stories of his childhood on the family’s dairy farm during the depression .

He was especially fond of dogs; he would encourage the family pets Joe-Joe and Skipper to jump up on his lap and watch Notre Dame football games with him while he rooted for his favorite team! His favorite drinks were a glass of Chardonnay and Scotch on the rocks, two fingers with a splash of water. He loved to watch the birds feeding at his many bird feeders which he kept filled year-round.

He created many happy memories on Lake Wilson at the cottage that he purchased with five of his brothers. It remains in the family and is still being enjoyed now by the 4th generation of Webers.

Christian was on a bowling league for many years and sang in the church choir. He also enjoyed watching the game of golf on TV as well as playing the game with his family and work buddies. He loved reminiscing about the Annual Weber Golf Gala. He admitted that he wasn’t very good, but he didn’t care. He let everything in life roll off of his back, from his bad putts to his foot injury that eventually ended his golfing days for good. Most people complain about their life’s circumstances or disappointments. Not Christian. Instead, you would often hear him say, “It is what it is” and “No problem” and “Every day is a gift.” He loved looking at the clouds, and no matter the weather he would exclaim, “It’s a beautiful day!” Even when his speech was severely impaired by his stroke, he still could make the people around him laugh. He found humor even in a serious situation. His life was a gift to the people who knew him. He was genuine, kind, sweet, generous, and easy-going.

Next to his family, he cherished his Catholic faith more than anything. He prayed several rosaries a day and watched daily Mass on TV televised from his favorite churches. He was a long-time member of Saint Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Bristol, Indiana, where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He was a master of duct tape. Whether it was a belt, a worn-out slipper, or a favorite flannel shirt, he would rather fix it with duct tape or have mom sew a patch on it than buy a new one. It wasn’t that he was particularly frugal; he just liked the comfort of things that were worn and well-loved.

He made friends everywhere he went. His countless nieces and nephews attest to the sweetness of their “Uncle Chris.” His irresistibility was most evident during the final months of his life which he spent at Greenleaf Health Campus. We were told by many people that they try not to get too attached to the residents…but Christian was hard to resist. From the therapists to the kitchen staff, the administration to the nurses and aids, they demonstrated their love for him and for our family by lining the halls as he was taken out of the building to the strains of “Amazing Grace”. Everyone loved him! He has left a hole in the hearts of all who knew him that will not easily be filled.

The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Elkhart General Hospital and the entire staff of Greenleaf Health Campus for their tender care for Christian during his last months. We would also like to thank Dr. Troy Weirick, Dr. James Jin, Dr. Roger Moore, and most especially Dr. Caroline Hudson and all of their staffs who have cared for him over the years. Finally we would like to thank Father David and Father Edwin who visited him and administered the sacraments to him in his final weeks. We are confident that he is now in heaven singing with the choirs of angels.

Visitation will be held from 4-8 pm on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone Blvd., Elkhart, IN 46514 where the rosary will be prayed at 7:30. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2pm at St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, 411 West Vistula Street, Bristol, IN 46507 visitation will be from 1-2pm at the church. Burial will follow at Oakridge Cemetery in Bristol, IN. Memorial donations in memory of Christian may be made to St. Mary’s of the Annunciation Catholic Church. Online condolences may be made to the Weber family at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com