THOMAS LEE "TOM" WEBER, 65, of Pullman, passed away on Sept. 2, 2013 at his Pullman home surrounded by his family. The Vigil Service will be held on Sunday, September 8, at 7:30PM at St. Gall Catholic Church in Colton. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 9, at 11:00AM. at St. Gall Catholic Church with vault interment following at the St. Gall Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Colton Gun Club.


Tom was born Oct. 3, 1947 in Colfax, WA to LeRoy & Trudy (Druffel) Weber. He graduated from Colton High School in 1965 and attended Yakima Valley College, earning an associates degree, then attended Washington State University, graduating in 1973 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He met Diane Leonore Clow in 1974; the two were married in Colton in 1976 and made Pullman their home.


He began working for Washington State University with the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 1973. During his employment he participated in groundwater research in eastern Washington and was systems administrator for the department's computers when he retired in 2010 because of complications from multiple myeloma.


Tom was a man of diverse interests including trap shooting, fly-fishing, bird watching, and wood-working. He was a member of the Colton Gun Club and in 1982 won the Camas Prairie Handicap. He was a member of Clearwater Flycasters and served as president. He was an active member of Palouse Audubon Society: he served several terms as president and was the newsletter editor for many years. Tom was also an active woodworker. After building a butcher block table for his mother in 1979, Tom continued to craft many items for family and friends, including signs, toys, doll houses, jewelry boxes, and furniture.


Tom was described by his family as an "exceptional organizer" and spent many years researching the history of his immediate and extended family including the Weber, Druffel, Reisenauer and Lightfield families and had recently expanded his research to include the Forsmann family. Tom organized (some say instigated) many family reunions and, at the conclusion of each reunion, sent each family home with a copy of his research, including updated family trees, photos, and notes.


Tom was a longtime and active member of the Knights of Columbus. He joined the Order in Colton on December 30, 1965. Tom first held office in 1973, when he was elected Warden of Colton Council 1565. He served as Deputy Grand Knight and Grand Knight and was also District Deputy for District 8. On February 7, 1981, Tom joined the Fourth Degree, an accomplishment that less than 18% of members nationwide attain. Tom joined the Fr. Cataldo Assembly of Moscow on February 7, 1982 and served as Faithful Captain and Faithful Navigator. In 1982, while serving as district deputy, he began his life-long devotion to ceremonial work. He was instrumental in forming First, Second, and Fourth Degree ceremonial teams, and he was an active member of these teams until March 2013. In 1987, Tom became a charter member of the Fr. Anton Flour Assembly 2105 in Pullman.

He was elected State Warden in 1987, and spent the next 10 years serving in every Washington State Council office including State Advocate, State Treasurer, State Secretary, and State Deputy.

Tom is survived by his loving wife Diane at the family home in Pullman; his mother Trudy and father LeRoy; sister Joan (Greg) Moser; brothers Bernie (Marie) Weber; Jerry (Sheyanna) Weber; Marty (Judy) Weber; Pat (Mimi) Weber; six nieces and eight nephews; and eight great-nieces and three great-nephews.


He was preceded in death by his brother Frank Alan Weber in 1961.


Memorial donations in Tom's honor may be made to the St. Gall Parish, St. Gall Endowment Fund, Guardian Angel St. Boniface School, or to St. Gertrude's Monastery in Cottonwood, Idaho.