Arden Dean Weaver

Arden Dean Weaver departed this life peacefully on June 24, 2025, at the age of 93. Cremation Rites have been accorded by Law Jones Funeral Home, and graveside service will be held on Friday, November 7 at 2:00 PM, at Oak Knoll Cemetery in Sterling, Illinois. Family and friends are welcome to attend and celebrate a life well lived.

Born in Sterling, Illinois, on June 21, 1932, to Henry B. and Vernice M. (Eikenberry) Weaver, Arden spent his early years in Sterling before moving to Panama at age nine, where his father worked for the U.S. government. He cherished his childhood in Panama and often shared fond memories of his time there. After graduating high school, he returned to the Sterling area to begin his adult life, taking on various jobs including work at the Savanna Ordinance Depot.

In 1950, he married Corinna McKinstry in Thomson, Illinois. Together they raised their son Dewayne, born in August 1951, and later adopted two sons, Steven and Russell, and lovingly fostered Vernon Dawson. He worked for Northwestern Steel and Wire in Sterling for 30 years before retiring and later served the community at Big Meadows in Savanna as a van driver and maintenance man for 13 years, retiring again in 2003.

After the passing of his beloved wife Corinna in 2008, following 52 years of marriage, he found love again with Lynne Ellithorpe. They married in August 2009 and shared 13 joyful years together in Savanna. He often said he was blessed to have had two wonderful women who loved him deeply. He especially treasured the presence of young children in the home he shared with Lynne, and his devotion to family was unwavering.

He is survived by his wife, Lynne and her children, Jessica, Jeffrey and Karina; sons, Steven, of Florida and Russell, of Sterling, IL; daughter-in-law, Marlene; granddaughter, Paige, of Sterling, IL; sister, Nora Johnson, of Peotone, IL; sister-in-law, Shirley Dalton, of Rock Falls, IL; and many more grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents; son, Dewayne; brothers, Howard, Clifford, and Robert; sisters, Betty Kruz, Joyce Bumphrey, and Alice Spencer; brother-in-law, Gene Dalton, with whom he shared a close bond; several nieces and nephews gone too soon; and a great-grandson.