Walter Dee Weaver, 97, of North Platte passed away Friday, May 2, 2025, at home surrounded by his loving family.

Walter was born December 31, 1927, in Callaway, Nebraska to Walter Lee and Anna (Dee) Weaver.

Before graduating high school, Walt felt a calling to serve his country. He dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and joined the Marines in 1945 in hopes of joining the fight against the Axis Powers in World War II. Though he was unable to participate in WWII, he served faithfully for four years, developing a hardworking mindset and a rigid sense of right and wrong which made him into the man everyone knew. After his discharge in 1949, Walter was called back to active duty to fight in the Korean War. There he served from 1950 to 1951, excelling in the flight of Vought F4U Corsairs, before returning home. Back in the U.S., Walt returned to Nebraska to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. There he met the love of his life, Karen Jacobs, in the July of 1959, and they were wed on December 19, 1959. To this Union were born their beloved sons Bob, Bill, and Tom.

Walter graduated with his Bachelor’s of Science in 1960 and went on to achieve his Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in 1962. After graduating, he served as deputy prosecuting attorney in Lancaster County until 1968. He served as the Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice before becoming a professor at the College of Public Affairs of the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1971. In 1974, he again shifted careers, becoming corporate secretary and general counsel to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska in Omaha as well as acting president, corporate transportation officer, and senior vice president of the legal and customer service division. He went on to be the Director of the Department of Insurance of the State of Nebraska in 1977. He was also nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be Federal Insurance Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1981. After an extremely successful legal career, he retired.

Though he retired, Walt was never one to sit idle. He kept busy working for Olson Construction, building many things including bridges, sewage treatment plants, and large road projects across the country. He constructed deer stands for his children, which are currently being used by his grandchildren. Many of these stands will outlast the people he built them for due to his tedious and sturdy construction. He also had an appreciation for trucks and four-wheelers, often buying new ones. Throughout his life, he made multiple trips to Moab, the Black Hills, and Wyoming to test their capabilities. He was 93 when he made his last trip to Moab driving a RZR for Karen and Ellen Kennedy.. Though his job and hobbies kept him busy, Walt always made time for his family. They will always remember his kind and stoic nature, his insatiable appetite for reading, and his adventurous spirit. He leaves them with many fond memories, including a particularly scenic road trip to Alaska along the ALCAN Highway.

Those left to Cherish Walt’s memory are his wife Karen Weaver; sons Bob (Deb) Weaver, Bill (Sharon) Weaver, and Tom (Jen) Weaver; grandchildren Erin (Tyler) Rowland, Christopher Weaver, and Sarah Weaver; sister Betty (Ed) Cook; and numerous other family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents Walter and Anna Weaver.

Graveside Services will be held Saturday, May 10, 2025, at noon at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, with The Reverend Sean Timmerman officiating. Brian P. Harvey Funeral Home will be assisting with burial and Carpenter Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family for future designation.

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