Samuel Weaver

Samuel Warren Weaver, Born on February 12, 1954, in Casper, Wyoming, Sam Weaver passed away on March 30, 2018. He was the son of Warren and Sara Weaver. Sam leaves behind his wife of 35 years Laurie Weaver, sons Sam and Chris and daughter Cara. Also surviving are his brother Tim Weaver (Debi), and sisters Rebecca Hunt (Geoff) and Patty Jones (Bob). His accomplishments are too many to list, but above all he was an amazing husband, father and brother. His impact reverberated through most aspects of life in Natrona County and especially on Casper Mountain. Sam was a gifted environmental science teacher at Natrona County High School, due to retire in May of 2018. He and Laurie looked forward to this, planning for the fun they were going to have and places they were going to see. Sam spent his extra time working for the Wyoming State Forestry Department. He created the first Firewise defensible space and fuel mitigation program in the state of Wyoming, developing the blueprint used to protect homes from forest fires statewide. Equally important to Sam was eradicating the pine beetle that invaded the mountain forests. The combination of these efforts helped save Casper Mountain from pine beetle infestations and raging wildfires alike. In fact, he and his students made maps of Casper Mountain dwellings that helped fire fighters save numerous homes during the 2006 and 2012 fires. Sam was a second generation member of the Casper Mountain Fire Department joining in 1974. In 1977 he was elected as President of the Board and continued in this role until his death. Sam also secured a grant from the Goodstein Foundation to build an addition to the Casper Mountain Fire Hall which provided much needed infrastructure updates for the department. Among Sam's favorite pastimes was skiing. Growing up on the mountain he seemed to have always been on skis. He was an active member of the Hogadon Basin Ski Patrol for 50 years, patrolling less than a week before he died. Sam spearheaded the Casper Mountain Ski History Project, organizing and recording oral histories of Casper's ski pioneers and raising the money to produce an upcoming book and documentary about Casper Mountain's ski history. Most of all, Sam was a good friend to more people than probably even his family knew. He was there to help friends and strangers alike with everything from cutting trees to pulling folks out of a snowy ditch. Sam set a strong example to all he encountered. Sam died of a massive stroke after surgery. In his typical fashion, he had recently renewed his commitment to be an organ donor. His generous gift allowed three families to celebrate Easter Sunday knowing he gave life to their loved ones. Sam gave of himself and his talents during his life and continued to do so with his death. There is a hole in the world where Sam Weaver once stood. A celebration of Sam's amazing life will be held at 3:00 pm at the Hogadon Basin Ski Lodge on Casper Mountain June 30th, 2018. Donations can be made to the Sam Weaver NCHS Science Scholarship fund at the First Interstate Bank.