Dave Weller died peacefully on July 6, 2016 at home in San Jose with his family and friends. Dave was born on November 11,1947 in Pennsylvania. The family moved to San Jose in 1951. He attended Markham Jr High and graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1965. He grew up loving outdoor activities, often involving his family's cabin in the Sierras. He became an Eagle Scout during his high school years. Through out his life he enjoyed nature, hiking, backpacking, canoeing , kayaking, bike riding, and square dancing.
On his 18th birthday, a time when American involvement in the Vietnam War was escalating, Dave went to the military registration office in Oakland and refused to be inducted into the Armed Forces. No formal charges were filed against him. A few years later he became a Quaker. He served in many capacities as a member of San Jose Friends Meeting , among them as a member and also as clerk of the Ministry and Caring Committee. He also served on the Unity with Nature Committee, and as meeting representative for the American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Committee on Legislation.
Dave’s passions were for peace and health for all. After obtaining his degree in Environmental Biology and a Master’s degree in Public health, he taught classes on health and wellness in California colleges and in jails . Dave regularly volunteered for the AIDS Lifecycle, a 7 day bike ride to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS.
Dave was a kind, quiet, soft-spoken man who felt very deeply about life and the suffering caused by man. The concerns he expressed in meeting were about his puzzlement and despair that war and senseless killing continue, and also about his admiration for activists he admired. One of these men was George “Shorty” Collins, whom Dave knew personally. Shorty had walked the downtown streets of San Jose calling for an end to nuclear weapons, and eventually, because of his efforts as well as other activists , a victorian residence was purchased to be the home of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. Another individual whom Dave had much admiration for was Pete Seeger. When Dave met Pete Seeger in 1992, he realized one of his life-long dreams.
Dave enjoyed his large vegetable garden and many fruit trees. He cherished all living things with the possible exception of the neighboring squirrels who came often.
Dave lived a very active life until he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia in December 2015. He is survived by his wife, Susan Golden, their dogs Bella, Queenie and Princess, siblings Mary and Tom, sister-in-law Evelyn, many nieces and nephews, cousins and his” adopted granddaughter” Alexa. His parents Mary and Bill, his brother Joe and his sister-in-law Brenna predeceased him. A celebration of Dave’s life was held at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, Ca. on October 22, 2016