Gwen Weaver

Barbara Gwen (Southerland) Weaver entered into the presence of her Saviour on January 17, 2020 after a short battle with cancer. She was born on October 3, 1937 in Lutts, Tennessee the oldest daughter of Rev. Hollis and Ruby Southerland. She married the love of her life, Paul Weaver of Henderson, Tennessee on December 22, 1957. She was the consummate pastor's wife, serving alongside her husband in churches in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi up until their retirement from full-time church ministry in 2019. She loved to play the piano and organ; she taught just about every kind of class you can have in a church but particularly loved teaching middle school children about Jesus. In addition to her service in the church, she worked for the Internal Revenue Service for many years. She also played a key role in several entrepreneurial small businesses she and her husband owned through the years.

She is survived by her two daughters: Deborah Kaye Simer and her husband, Roger, of Jackson, Tennessee, and Cindy Rene Wright and her husband, Matthew, missionaries of Greece and Albania. She had 5 grandchildren: Paul Simer and his wife, Tracie of Jackson, Tennessee; Rebekah Weaver and her husband, Sahil Anand of Seattle, Washington; Erin Burgess and her husband, Jacob, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Caleb Wright and his wife, Taraleh of Beaverton, Oregon; and Emily Wright of Jackson, Tennessee. She had 4 great-grandchildren: Liam Weaver, Wren Anand, Aspen Burgess, and Arnan Wright. She is also survived by her two sisters, Nell Moore of Portland, Tennessee and Sue Lambert of Savannah, Tennessee and her brother, Johnny "Sonny" Southerland, also of Savannah, Tennessee.

Throughout over 50 years of ministry, unnumbered people were blessed through the hospitality of the Weaver home. Gwen's chicken and biscuits and fried apples made many, many people feel like family and they will forever remember the times they spent around the Weaver's table.