Judith 'Judi' Ann Weaver

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Judith “Judi” Ann Weaver on Friday, September 11, 2020.

Born in Edmonton on December 14, 1949, Judi was predeceased by her parents, Pauline and Sandy Petrovitch, as well as her younger sister, Kathryn Petrovitch. Judi leaves to mourn, her beloved husband of 51 years, Bruce Weaver of Saltair, Vancouver Island. She also leaves her daughter, Dawn Weaver-McCoy (Peter) of Airdrie, Alberta, and her son, Byron Weaver (Lynn) of Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island. Judi will forever be “Gramma” to her greatest joys, Cale Alexander Bonn of Airdrie and Jiya Juniper Weaver of Shawnigan Lake. She will be lovingly remembered as “Grandma Judi” by Makayla Valentina and Zachery Joseph McCoy of Airdrie. Judi is also survived by her aunts and many wonderful cousins, among whom are life-long friends as well as more recently rediscovered connections.

As a child, Judi’s favourite place to be was with her dear grandmother, Ila, on the Walker family farm in Tofield, Alberta. She often referred to those years as the most formative of her life. Judi left Edmonton on her own at 16 years old to attend journalism school at SAIT in Calgary and it was there that she met her lifelong partner, Bruce. After a short time on Vancouver Island, Judi and Bruce made the fortuitous decision to raise their family in Okotoks, Alberta, a perfect home base for the family for the next 21 years. Judi and Bruce made many wonderful friends in Okotoks and enjoyed a wide circle of people with whom they spent their time; parents of their kids’ friends, Fire Department friends, curling buddies, great neighbours and so many others.

Judi began her journalism career as the Okotoks correspondent for the High River Times newspaper before joining the Western Wheel as the sole reporter in its very early days. After several years reporting on local events, Judi moved into the role of editor. After a short break, she returned to finish her 18 years at the Wheel as a Features Writer. Judi was not just a valued community member, but also a community builder in Okotoks. She brought coverage of important events and news to her community with talent, dedication and unfailing professionalism. Judi won several awards in her time at the paper, including Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association awards for editorial and feature writing. She loved meeting the interesting people who were the subjects of her articles and found herself in many surprising situations throughout her writing career, including winning a silver belt buckle for “calf decorating” at the High River Rodeo and surviving a dramatic hot air balloon crash.

With their kids grown and off on their own adventures, Judi and Bruce moved back to Vancouver Island to the small community of Saltair in 1994. With connections from her time at the newspaper, Judi quickly found work and was engaged in several ventures over the years including real estate, software development and battery sales. Judi was always happiest when working hard, and without fail she quickly became more than her job title with any employer who was lucky enough to have her. Judi retired 6 years ago from the B.C. Ministry of Child and Family Development in Youth Forensics, where she not only made dear friends but also a difference in the lives of so many.