Frederick D. Weathers had a successful career in the marketing of pharmaceuticals and training of medical professionals.
Weathers died Nov. 6, 2012. He was 71.
He was born in Harrisburg on July 5, 1941 to Althea Johns and James Albert Weathers.
His mother became ill when he was five and she passed away when he was 11. In her absence, the children went to live as foster children with the family of Elder Butler of the Church of God and Saints of Christ. He and his brother Tony were inseparable and often mistaken for twins, working together at an early age shoveling snow, raking leaves and doing odd jobs for neighbors
When Weathers was nine, he was hit by a car and sustained a serious head injury. Determined and equipped with fortitude, he recovered and demonstrated the beginning of his “can’t complain” and “always be thankful” conviction.
Weathers graduated from William Penn High School in 1960 and joined the Air Force, where he trained and served as a medic.
He met his future wife, Carole Ann Claytor, in Philadelphia in 1964 through his Air Force buddy Bobby Claytor, her brother. They married on Dec. 11, 1965. The couple had two children.
Weathers shared his love for God with his family in Bible reading and praying together.
Both in childhood and as an adult, Weathers was involved with church and community outreaches, such as the Belleville Widows and Orphans Home, missions to feed the poor and homeless, Sons of Abraham and the Josephine Solomon Ellis Foundation for grandparents raising grandchildren.
Education, jazz and people were essential to him. He was a jazz enthusiast. It just took a few notes for him to identify a piece. In his younger days, he sat in on sets with his bass or brought his daughters to experience the music. People were drawn to him and he would commonly run into a “buddy” while walking down the street, always ready to impart some knowledge. He bought the homeless man a cup of coffee, encouraged his wife in her artistic enterprises, inspired his daughters to ‘have their own’ and he helped the stranger look for a job.
Weathers earned several degrees including a bachelor’s in business administration from LaSalle University; advanced professional training in dental prosthetics at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and McGill University; a master’s in organizational dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in naturopathic medicine at the International University at Brussels, Erasmus Hospital, which he later practiced.
In May of 2011, Weathers began his struggle with illness.
“Even in this, he showed resilience and strove to adapt to the challenges,” his family said.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Patricia Sutton.
In addition to his wife, Weathers is survived by his daughters: Natalie (John) Nixon and Mercedes Weathers; stepson, Rickey (Eliza) Griffin; brother, Anthony Weathers (former spouse, Betty Weathers Moore); sister, Loretta Faulk; brother-in-law, Robert (Henrietta) Claytor; nieces and nephews, Derrick, Mark, Kali, Dwayne, Ali, Allen, Autumn, Renata, April and other relatives and friends.
Services were held November 11 at Church of God and Saints of Christ at 602 South Broad Street. Burial was in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
Savin Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
