Charmaine Weber

On January 2, 2024, Charmaine Strawman Weber, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away, peacefully in her sleep, at her home in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Charmaine was born February 18, 1935, in Toledo, Ohio, to parents Harold and Flossie Strawman of Rising Sun, Ohio. She grew up on a farm where her love for animals, gardening and especially music, shaped her entire life.

Charmaine’s mother was a very caring piano teacher and encouraged many students to go on with their music, including her daughter.

Good advice was taken, and Charmaine attended one year at Bowling Green University and the next four years at Eastman school of Music in Rochester, New York.

She loved school and spent many musical hours honoring her skills on piano, playing the violin in orchestras, playing piano for children’s dance classes, and accompanying students. One of those violin students (her future husband) accompanied her for the next 65 years of her life. In those many years, Charmaine would teach and work with hundreds of children to play violin with symphonies in Duluth, Minnesota and Tucson, Arizona, and after moving to Los Alamos, orchestras in Santa Fe, Roswell, Taos, Los Alamos and several other ensembles in New Mexico.

One of these ensembles, formed in Los Alamos, “The Prima Trio” played many concerts in Los Alamos, toured in Texas, and flew to Ohio for Charmaine’s 60th wedding anniversary. She, her husband Tom, and local friend and cellist, David Watkins, performed many favorite works for this very special event. Pleasing all that attended, the greatest compliment came from her parents when they said, “we couldn’t be prouder.”

Charmaine never forgot her farm upbringing, passing it on to her two children Richard and Jennice. The backyard became a mini farmyard for many ducks, geese, turkeys and a chicken or two. Richard loved chasing and naming many of them, and sister Jennice loved planting seeds and raising vegetables which she still does today, raising lots of pineapples in Florida.

Charmaine was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Flossie Strawman and younger brother Robert.

She is survived by her husband, Tom Weber; children Richard and Jennice Weber Meehan (Robert); their three children, Jeremy (Melanie), Taylor, and Seth; siblings, Lawrence Strawman (Karen) and Marilyn Strawman Phillips (Paul); cousin John Strawman (Debbie) and many nephews, nieces, friends and music students.

Arrangements are handled by Rivera Family Funeral Home in Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544.

Please feel encouraged to leave pictures, messages, and stories about Gene’s life for the family to cherish.

The family requests to please donate to your favorite charity in Charmaine’s memory.