Kit C. Weaver

Kit C. Weaver Kit Custer Weaver was born in Spokane, Washington on August 1, 1915 to Henry and Pearl Weaver and raised with his sister Ida and brother Cody on Boulevard Road in Olympia. His early days on the homestead involved hard work tending the fields and cows. He attended old McKinley Grade School and played baseball on a rock-strewn field. After school, he would grab his gun or fishing pole and head off with a friend to see what they might add to the supper table. Kit graduated from Olympia High in 1935. After high school, he worked at Hyak Lumber in Olympia and served in the Washington National Guard. He and his motorcycle buddies made many trips to Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, and he and “Smitty” Smith rode their cycles to Missouri and back in the summer of 1939. He joined the US Navy in 1939 and served aboard the USS Dickson, USS Lamberton, and USS Brannon during his sea duty. He was stationed on both the East and West Coasts, including Pearl Harbor in 1941, with final duty at Bellingham and Tacoma naval stations before his retirement from the service in 1959. Following his retirement from the Navy, Kit worked at Pasquier Panel in Sumner, Washington. Kit and Mary Lucelle “Teil” Goodrich married in 1942 and they enjoyed 54 years together before her death in 1997. They raised their three children, Linda, Carol and Jim, in Sumner, Washington before retiring in 1974 to their Olympia home on Ward Lake. Kit loved to fish and hunt and was an avid marksman even at 95 years old. He often laughed about “hitting” his age when trap shooting, breaking 90 or more out of 100 clay pigeons after turning 90 years old. His collection of shooting trophies was impressive. His knowledge of firearms and ballistics was vast, with special expertise in Colt and Winchester firearms. He served as a volunteer instructor for hunter safety education for more than 20 years and was active in Evergreen Gun Club for nearly 40 years. Prior to that, he helped establish the Sumner Archery Club. In November 1950 near Nason Creek, he shot the second largest white tail deer taken in the state with a bow and arrow. A picture of Kit with his deer was published in the Field Archery Magazine that winter. He leaves behind box after box of photos of friends with whom he hunted and fished, the game they outwitted, and the environment in which he most loved to spend his time. Oh, and pictures of the beloved dogs that provided assistance and companionship while bird hunting. Many of his favorite stories started off with “One time when we were hunting/fishing at . . .” His retirement years gave him an opportunity to visit friends and family in the United States, and he especially enjoyed Weaver and Silver family reunions in Eastern Washington and Oregon. He loved learning about his family history and maintained correspondence with a number of family historians. He was an avid reader and would often have two or three different kinds of books open on his table at the same time. US history was a particularly favorite topic and he often compared his own World War II experiences with those published by the “experts.” Needless to say, he sometimes disagreed with those experts. His knowledge of the practical workings of the world was extensive. He could eyeball a heap of firewood and estimate how many chord it contained. He could tell you the pitch of a roof without any tools and he could tell you how many bundles of shingles were needed to replace the roof. He loved working with tools and wood. After Teil died, he cooked for himself and could often be found in the kitchen experimenting with some new recipe, perfecting a pan of cornbread, or getting something ready to grill. As the “guardian” of Ward Lake, he knew when the first swallows arrived in early March and when they headed south in September. The loons, the osprey, the bald eagles, the ruddy ducks and kingfishers never escaped his notice. He could tell you where the deep hole is in Ward Lake, how many acres of water the lake contains, where the sawmills were and how much six inches of rain would raise the lake. He knew its highest and lowest levels since he first discovered the lake in the early 1920s. It is, after all, the lake he learned to swim in before he started grade school. He also loved his model trains. He first built a small train table when all of the kids were home in Sumner, but after the house in Olympia provided more space (and no kids), the layout grew and grew. And as was his usual approach to life, he learned a great deal about trains, their history and how the model trains reflected that history. He loved showing little kids his trains and would often amaze them with the train whistle that sounded as if the real train were about to drive through the room. No Christmas tree was complete without a train under it and Santa and his sleigh riding on a flat car. He collected friends of all ages and walks of life and, until just before he died, he maintained active correspondence with folks all over the country. His trusty typewriter was all he needed to keep connected with family and friends. From each person, he gained new insight to the world and in exchange, shared his love of life. His life was not without sadness. After Teil died in March 1997, his son Jim died in January 1999. In June 2012, his daughter Linda died. His parents, sister Ida and brother Cody also predeceased him, as well as four nieces and nephews. He is survived by daughter Carol Weaver and grandson Ivan Neuenschwander of Tumwater, Washington; son-in-law Gary Gates of Olympia, Washington, and two granddaughters, Jennifer Stambaugh of Kansas and Stephanie White of Texas. He is also survived by one great grandson, Christopher Stambaugh of Kansas. Surviving nieces and nephews include Leah Smith Wilson, Linton Smith, Lyall Smith, Ward Weaver, Marylynne Weaver Higgins, and Chuck Stager. Please leave memories of Kit or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.