Charlene Kay Ninnemann Weyand's Obituary
Charlene passed away on March 3rd, 2025 at 85 years old. She had weekly Zoom meetings with family and was visited by her sons and a grandson during her final week. We are grateful for these final moments together with Mom.
Charlene attended Platte High School in Platte, South Dakota. She was second soprano in the Glee Club and first alto in choir. She is listed as a member of the All State Chorus for 1956. She played piano and bassoon in both the band and orchestra. She belonged to the FHA Dramatic Guild and Thespians as well as the Young People’s Society (part of the Christian Endeavor movement). She also worked for her school paper. In 1956, she was Platte High’s Girls’ State representative in Philadelphia. In 1957, she graduated with scholastic honors.
Charlene then attended Yankton College on scholarship in Yankton, South Dakota. At Yankton, she further developed her talents as a pianist and bassoonist. She was a member of the Concert Choir, the orchestra, Sodales (a women’s literary society), the YMCA, and served as the Secretary-treasurer of the Apollo Musagetes, a musical organization on campus. She graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education in 1961.
Next, Charlene pursued a Master’s of Education degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. To pay her way, she worked as a Resident Assistant, managing the floor of a girls’ dormitory. She described this job as wild and challenging. She graduated with her Masters in 1963.
She took a position as a second grade teacher in Jefferson City, MO. She later accepted a position as a Remedial Reading Teacher and Coordinator of developmental and remedial reading programs at six elementary schools in South St. Paul, Minnesota. It was her job to help students learn to read and to help other teachers be better reading teachers.
Charlene married John David Weyand on the 28th of November, 1963. Their adventure together began by joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They welcomed five sons into the world. They lived in lots of different places, including the following: St. Paul, MN; Columbus, OH; Rolla, MO; Glendale and La Crescenta, CA; Fairview Heights, IL; Greensburg, PA; Idaho Falls, ID; Escondido, CA; Logan, UT; and once again, Greensburg, PA. The majority of their married life was spent in Greensburg, PA. Charlene adored her husband. They preferred road trips to flights. They criss-crossed the country countless times in countless cars. Common trips included visiting family in South Dakota and shuttling sons to school out West.
One constant in Charlene’s life was music. She and her older brother, Gene, shared a passion for singing. She taught piano lessons to many, including her five sons. She often filled her home with her piano playing and singing. One of her last jobs was as a music instructor at a community music school teaching the Suzuki method.
Other jobs included the following: a typist for Creative Communication in Smithfield, UT where she typed a poetry anthology, “A Celebration of Young Poets” (1999) of young poets’ work, grades 1-12; an office worker in Escondido, CA, where she researched delinquent accounts for the North County Times Accounting Department; and a sales representative for Melaleuca Inc. in Idaho Falls, ID. She also volunteered to combat illiteracy by helping several adults learn to read.
Charlene served faithfully in many callings at her church, many of them with young children. While her sons were young, she served for several years as their Cub Scout Den Mother. She championed her sons' participation in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) where each son earned his Eagle Scout Award. It can be argued that it was actually Charlene who should have been awarded the Eagle Scout Award . . . five times. Charlene frequently served as her church congregation’s organist and as its Primary Music Leader. In Idaho, while going through some serious health challenges, she served as her ward’s Relief Society president, serving the needs of sisters in her congregation. With John, she served two missions for the church, one as temple workers at the Columbus, Ohio Temple and one serving in the church’s Addiction Recovery Program.
She loved gardening, especially the growing of tomatoes, zucchini, and rhubarb. She enjoyed pets including two dogs, Freckles and Foo Bear; and one cat, Twinkie. It was on a solo road trip to South Dakota that Charlene found Twinkie, a seemingly orphaned cat who jumped into her car. Charlene brought Twinkie home to Utah. Charlene loved certain murder shows: Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, and NCIS. She loved Don Knotts, especially in The Andy Griffith Show and a movie called The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. She also loved the movie Arachnophobia. Charlene had a sweet tooth. If you awoke in the middle of the night, you might find her enjoying some hot chocolate or even some ice cream. She loved a McDonald’s hamburger and a Diet Coke.
Charlene is survived by her five sons and their spouses: Nathan (Lisa) Weyand of Athens, OH; Ethan (Sanni) Weyand of Turku, Finland; Justin (Vicki) Weyand of Buxton, Maine; Austin (Kassie) Weyand of Honeyville, UT; and Larkin (Marianne) Weyand of Pleasant Grove, UT. She has one brother, Gene, of Beavercreek, OH. Charlene was the proud grandmother of 17, and great-grandmother of 1.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, John David Weyand, and her parents Walter and Selma Ninnemann of Platte, SD.
A viewing and funeral service will be held on Friday, March 14th at her church congregation building in American Fork, located at 455 East 300 North. The viewing will start at 4:30 PM and the funeral services will start at 6 PM. A zoom link to watch the funeral will be posted for those unable to attend in person.
In lieu of flowers please consider sending a donation to Yankton College, her alma mater. Funds will be directed to an existing music scholarship. Send donations in Charlene’s name to Yankton College PO Box 133 Yankton, SD 57078.
Flower Delivery Notice:
To ensure proper delivery, please send all floral arrangements directly to the location of the service one hour prior to its scheduled start time. Thank you.
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