Obituary of Gus and Fordre Weiser

We waited for Dad's passing to include Mom's obituary. We never knew a more in love couple, and when the time came to speak of their deaths, it seemed natural to speak of them together. Our Mom, Fordre Fraties Weiser, born March 19, 1922 in Carmel, passed away October 3, 2010 after a long bout with cancer. She was 89. Mom's parents, Roy and Bliss (Billie) Fraties, were natives of Monterey County. Roy served as Carmel's Chief of Police. Mom was the eldest of three children; two brothers, Gail, who predeceased her, and Arvid (AJ) of Bend, Oregon and Casa Grande, Arizona. Both have amazing families full of beautiful people. Our Dad, Gus Weiser, born December 31, 1921 in Los Angeles, passed away August 15, 2013 from a heart attack. He was 92. Dad also grew up in Monterey County. His parents were Charles Weiser and Frieda Lukens (later named Helen Hanson.) He was the baby in a large family that included brothers and sisters Carl Giles, Hallie Weiser, Charles Weiser, and Mary McLaurin, who doted on him. They went on to have large families of their own. Gus and Fordre are survived by their six children, Solveig, Sten, Bryn, Siri, Dag and Lyf. All have loving families of their own. Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts in Monterey. The story goes that Mom laid eyes on Dad for the first time in high school, and said to her girlfriends that he was the "one". Dad was Hall Monitor, and Mom contrived a scheme to put herself in his path. As they jousted over the protocols involved, she delivered a swift kick to his shin. Dad said it was love at first kick. They were married right after high school, in 1941, and celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary September 19, 2010, a month before she died. Our Mom was a mom in the most beautiful and complete sense. She was a pillar of strength for us all. She raised us, alone over years at times, while Dad did his duty. She had a rare faith. She used to say, with this second sight common with so much of our kin, that Dad was coming home from the wars, no question. She rarely cried, but when she did, you paid close attention. It was always for a reason whose depth needed mining, and brought you to a higher understanding of the ways of the world. But really, what she did was laugh. We have never laughed with anyone as we have laughed with my our Mom. Our Dad was a caring and loving father. He taught us to love the natural world. He was a patriot of the highest order. He had Mom, and his kids. But the family he had in the Air Force is just now fully becoming known to me. 1942. The war was on big time. My Dad went into Officers Training and came out a lieutenant. He wanted to fly. He joined the Air Force, and was flying bombers by the age of 19. A lifetime storied career culminated as Base and Wing Commanding Officer in Thailand during the Vietnam conflict. This almost ended early in his WWII training days as he led a squadron of fighters for a joyride low-level flyover of Carmel. The brass was not amused! Our Mom, expecting their first child, moved in with her family, contributing to the war effort by working in hospitals and in various community victory gardens. Ours was a typical Air Force family with a "lifer" as a father. Stationed in locations including Wiesbaden, Germany, Sacramento, CA., Monument, CO and Buzzards Bay, MA, where Dad, now a full Bird Colonel, assumed command of the Ent Air Force Base, and command of the 551st and 553rd BatCat Recon Wings set to deploy and work out of Thailand during the Vietnam conflict. An intensely private person, Mom took up the mantle of Base Commander's Wife in Buzzard's Bay with style and aplomb, and created several on-base programs for the needy and poor. In recent years, communications started trickling in to Dad from men and women associated with the two Recon Wings, as reunions were being established, and histories were being written. I have been overwhelmed by the love and respect given our father by these men and women, on all levels, that he commanded in the 551st and 553rd Recon Wings. He said to me many times that, of his whole 25-year career in the Air Force, his tour with them marked, far and away, the best years of his life. He cared deeply and strived to do a good job, to protect and defend not only this country, but every person under his command. He knew them by name. He knew their families. He cared for all of them. Deeply. Words that have been received from them since his passing reflect once more their love and respect. Mom and Dad retired to Watsonville, CA in 1968-69 to a home Mom had walked up to in the 50's, saw for the first time, and said, "This is the place." She was always like that...her husband, her homes...she knew her heart better than anyone we have ever known. Our Mom, always a creative person, blossomed in her retired years. When she taught herself knitting and crocheting, every member of the family had a warm bedspread. When she taught herself ceramics, everybody was treated to amazing hand made gifts for years and years. A fan of the "YouPick" orchards in Watsonville, she picked and cooked and gave away delicious jams, jellies and pies. She had a beautiful voice, and to her last day, sang and hummed the most beautiful music. She instilled a love of music and art and creativity in all her children, many of them now artists. She insisted that her children, particularly her boys, know how to cook. Thank you, Mom! She gardened and walked the property until she couldn't anymore. Dad, after retiring from the Air Force, couldn't sit still, and became Airport Manager in Salinas, then in Hollister, improving them both over ten years. When he did settle down, he found he had a flair for stained glass windows. Over the years of his retirement he created beautiful windows from one end of the house to the other. Even his beloved wood shop, where he spent the bulk of his time, had stained glass windows that he had created! Both were campers. After Dad retired, it was time for Mom and him to travel, camping of course. Besides one memorable jaunt to Hawaii, their vacations ranged to the far North. Their last trip, in their mid-80s, was, as my Dad put it, to drive to the end of the road. This put them in a caribou sanctuary just inside the Arctic Circle! We have never known two people that loved each other more than our Mom and Dad. That they are once again walking hand in hand on the sands of Point Lobos, the sanctuary where they fell in love as teenagers, is a great solace to the entire family.