WEAVER, Charlene Thane

Charlene Thane Weaver, 24, of Phoenix, Ariz. and formerly of Wellman, Iowa died Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix from injuries suffered in an automobile accident Nov. 1 in Phoenix. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with the Rev. Tim Zimmermann officiating. Burial will be in the Wellman Public Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the Charlene Weaver Memorial Fund. Ms. Weaver was born June 18, 1979, in Fairfield, Iowa the daughter of Kenneth and Paula Lynn Brereton Weaver. She graduated from Mid-Prairie High School in 1997 and gave the commencement speech. Charlene attended Buena Vista University in Storm Lake and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political cience and world history. In 2001, she moved to Phoenix as part of the Teach For America Program. She taught seventh and eighth grade special education at Ignacio Conchos Elementary School. She was a strict disciplinarian who taught her students chess and quilting. In May, she was awarded the Sue Lehmann Award for Excellence In Teaching. During the same month she received her master's degree in education from Arizona State University. After teaching, she took a position at the University of Phoenix as an academic advisor, and tutored children in the evenings. Charlene was passionate about global politics, rock climbing, literature, quilting, and education. She aspired to become the first female President of the United States. Survivors include a sister, Kimberly Kopf and husband Mike of Iowa City; her parents, Kenneth and Paula Weaver of Wayland; one niece, Annika; and one nephew, Hunter. Fairfield Daily Ledger - Fairfield, Iowa November 11, 2003