LaVanche Eleanor Walker Weber, known to one and all as “Lee,” age 97, passed away peacefully Sept. 23, 2024, at home, with her children by her side.
Lee arrived Jan. 1, 1927, the third of four children born to Helen Marie Rothacker Walker and Charles Herbert Walker of Newark.
A graduate of Weequahic High School in 1944, she started working while still in school at Bamberger’s as a gift-wrapper. After her formal schooling ended, Lee found work as a showroom model in Manhattan’s fashion district. She then went on to become assistant to bathing suit designer Carolyn Schnurer and later was hired by Kimberly Knitwear. In later years she was involved in the creation and production of the first Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues.
In short, fashion forever loomed large in Lee’s life, as anyone who ever met her – or ever glimpsed her closet – will readily tell you.
Later, she became involved in event planning and management. Along with her business partner Midge Fitzgerald, Lee coordinated and planned events including Night of 100 Stars at Radio City Music Hall, 90 Minutes for Life (the fashion industry’s first fundraising effort to fight AIDS), the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Lincoln Center, the reopening of the Fulton Street Fish Market, annual celebrations for El Museo del Barrio and various private celebrity celebrations including the wedding of Whitney Houston.
Far more important to Lee, however, was her volunteer work. She volunteered with the Monmouth County Junior League as a young woman, but her great passion was reflected in her over 60 years as an auxiliary member, board member, board president and president emeritus at FCS (Family and Children’s Service) of Monmouth County. She was given the Junior League of Monmouth County’s Award for Sustainer Community Volunteerism in 1989 and then FCS’s Lifetime Service Award along with her dear friend B.J. Thompson in 2011.
Lee met the love of her life, Henry (Hank) Weber, through her brother Buddy. They married in 1951 and raised their family first in East Orange, then New Shrewsbury, finally moving to Fair Haven in 1967. They loved each other devotedly until Hank’s passing in 2007.
Lee was predeceased by her dear husband Hank, her beloved son Gregory, her parents, Helen and Charles, and her siblings, Jean, Charles Jr. (aka Buddy) and Donald.
She leaves behind her daughters, Cynthia Weber-Cleary (Denis) of Highlands and Jenifer Weber of Red Bank; her daughter-in-law Kelly Weber of Atlantic Highlands; and her grandchildren, Lauren, Emma, Mac, Charlotte and Eli who all miss her already, but are all fiercely proud of the loving, fearless, wise-cracking, elegant, soft-hearted, maddening, magnificent person who was the matriarch of their family.
She also bids farewell to many well-loved friends from all walks of life, including Diane Dey, Joyce Haebler, Joan Nugent, Arlene Lospinosa, Sissie Redden and Ann McKee, with special mentions of Heidi Burton, Rebecca Beebe and Maud Quarmayne, who each conspired to help make her last years very happy ones, indeed.
Visitation was held Sept. 20 at Thompson Memorial Home in Red Bank; a Celebration of Life was held Oct. 1 at The Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury. The family requests that any memorial gifts be directed to FCS of Monmouth County at 191 Bath Ave., Long Branch, NJ 07740.
The article originally appeared in the September 26 – October 2, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
