Ron Weber

Ron Weber was a member of the camp staff for several years in the 1980s and 1990s. He worked with others to help shape the spiritual aspect of the camp. Ron was also very active in Order of the Arrow ceremonies and helped plan many of the Wulapeju Lodge conclaves and fellowships that were held at Lowden throughout the 1980s. He also served as retreat-master for the Lutheran religious retreats from 1980-1987 and 1992 and helped develop a Scout vesper trail liturgy that was used a few times during the 1980s and at the religious retreat weekend.

Tim Gaston recalls,

One time Ron was in Indian costume leading a ceremony and momentarily forgot a critical part. He said, “Let’s all do it together.” And we did.

Andrew Mertzenich recalls,

I first met Ron at one of the annual staff Christmas parties. He and Tim [Gaston] were telling stories as they always did, delightfully reminiscing. However, it was not until later that I truly "met" Ron. When he and I reconnected he asked me to substitute as an organist at the church that he was president of, St. James Lutheran in Chicago. We also knew each other through the American Guild of Organists. It was funny, because he met my husband, Cody, at an Easter vigil. I told Cody that the vigil would only take an hour, but it took almost five! But we had a good choir singing and we had fun with the music.

Chris Tritt recalls,

Working with Ron and being a part of Scouting was the way I learned to be positive and to come out of my shell and lead, rather than to just follow. Ron was part of that inspiration, and singing at 6:00 a.m. to start my day off with humor or fun.

Jamie Pennington recalls,

I do not recall ever seeing Ron ever lose his temper, even in very difficult circumstances. He was always kind, always fair, always gentle, and always compassionate.

Joe Bestul recalls,

Ron was one of the most positive people with whom I had the privilege to work with at Lowden. I do not have any memories of Ron where he was not smiling.

Andy Rollins recalls,

Ron was such a kind and caring person. When I was on the staff he was the senior staff guy in our cabin. He was super friendly and welcoming, and very funny! He was just great to be around.

Shawn Wade recalls,

Ron was my cabin master one year. He was a good man…always good to me and always had a smile on his face.

In 1986 Tim and Ron were assigned the task of finding a suitable location in camp for activities. They found the area above the cliffs in the Council Ring, just behind the Chapel. While they were Scouting this area Tim saw a deer, and from their vantage point it looked as if the deer were pointing; therefore they named the area “Deer Point.”

At the end of the 1993 season a collage of photos was given to Ron, as he was going to leave to pursue ministry at the time. The photos that made up the collage were taken from each department. In addition to the photos, a nice write-up on Ron was prepared and most of the 1993 camp staff signed it.

Andrew Mertzenich recalls,

I had the honor of seeing Ron shortly before he passed away. A mutual friend had come with me, and Ron had another surprise guest show up. At his bedside, the three of us treated Ron and the hospital staff to a men's trio of Ron's favorite requested hymns.

Ron Weber passed away in May 2024.