Walter Daniel WEBER

8 MAY 1939 - 15 DEC 2016

• BIRTH: 8 MAY 1939, Timisoara, Romania
• DEATH: 15 DEC 2016, Mishawaka, Indiana

• MARRIAGE: 19 DEC 1965, Hinsdale, Cook, Illinois

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[N15910] Walter Daniel Weber
May 8, 1939 - Dec. 15, 2016
MISHAWAKA - The family of Walter Daniel Weber announces his passing of complications from pneumonia on December 15, 2016, at his residence in Mishawaka, Indiana. Walter was born on May 8, 1939, in Timisoara, Romania, to Josef and Susanna Suzanna (Karschti ) Weber, and was one of nine children. In 1941 the family moved to Germany to escape the advancing Communist troops. Settling in Lebenstedt, a small town south of Hanover, Germany, the large family struggled during World War II and the chaos following the war. They relied upon their religious faith and a strong family bond to survive. Most of the family members immigrated to the United States in 1956, establishing roots in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Walter served in the United States Army as an ambulance driver from 1963 to 1965. He travelled in Europe and North Africa playing for the U.S. Army soccer team. This was part of a long career as a soccer player and coach. In 1965, Walter met Kirsten Anderson and they were married on December 19th in Hinsdale, Illinois, and established a home in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Their twin sons, Karl David and Daniel Andrew, were born on November 10, 1967, in Stoneham. In 1969, the Weber family moved to Niles, Michigan, where Walter started his own business as a tool and dye maker. The family was part of the Buchanan Seventh-day Adventist Church, where Walter served as an elder. Their son Thomas Matthew was born on June 11, 1972, in Berrien Center, Michigan, and was followed by Walter Jonathan on June 13, 1978, in Mishawaka, Indiana.Walter operated Weber Machine Company on US Highway 12 on the outskirts of Niles for many years, doing work for Bendix and many other companies in the South Bend area. He eventually sold the business to his brother Ferdinand Weber and continued to work there until his retirement in 2000. An avid lover of soccer, Walter played on many different teams in the Michiana area and helped as an assistant coach at Notre Dame University. He also loved coaching youth soccer and worked with teams at Adams and St. Joseph High Schools. He served as head coach of the St. Joseph High School team when they played for the Indiana State High School Semi Finals in 1996, and he was awarded as the Indiana State High School Soccer Coach of the Year. Walter was known for his love of life and sense of humor, loving to entertain his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren with his jokes and antics. He was a regular attendee of the Octoberfest events at the local German clubs, enjoying the Polka music. Walter is survived by his siblings, Hermine, Fritz, Evelina, Ferdinand and Brigitte. He was preceded in death by his siblings, Oskar, Joe, and Irene. He is also survived by his four children and their spouses, Karl David and Kristi; Daniel Andrew and Heidi; Thomas Matthew and Susi; and Walter Johnathan and Alise. He is also remembered by nine grandchildren, Troy, Brendan, Bridgette, Natasha, Ethan, Alina, Annabelle, Rosalie and Elizabeth Susanna (Zuzu). Surviving him also is Kirsten Anderson Roggankamp, mother of their four children. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 29, 2016, at 11:00 am in the Youth Chapel of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, MI. The family is requesting that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to your local first responder, police or veterans group. Published in South Bend Tribune on Dec. 21, 2016