Ted A. Weber

Jan. 31, 1951 - Aug. 14, 2009

Ted A. “Poppy” Weber, 58, Kokomo, passed away peacefully into Heaven to be with the Lord at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, at St. Vincent Seton Specialty Hospital, Indianapolis.

Ted was born in Tipton, on Jan 31, 1951, to the late Arnie Weber and Annie (Cage) Weber. On Feb. 14, 1971, in St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, he married Connie J. (Miller), and she survives.

Ted attended St. Johns Catholic School in Tipton until the eighth grade and went on to attend Tipton High School until 1968. From 1968, he attended Kokomo High School, where he graduated in 1969. After high school, he graduated as valedictorian of his class at the United Electronics Institute, Louisville, Ky. In 1971, he enlisted into the U.S. Air Force. During basic training in Biloxi, Miss., he completed a six-week course of training in a period of two weeks and graduated first in his class. After basic training, Ted and Connie moved to Offit AFB in Omaha, Neb.

Later, he was stationed for three years at Aviano AFB, Italy. At that base, Ted installed communication lines. Along with that project, he also wired a loud speaker system so the officers could listen to music on the base. Ted received accommodations for his ingenuity.

Ted and his family moved back to Kokomo in 1976 to join the Delco division of General Motors. At Delco, he worked in research and development. He later became the Lab Supervisor of Technicians at Delphi Energenix Laboratory. Ted retired from Delphi in April 2005.

He was an avid fan of jazz and other genres of music. Ted dreamed of being involved with musicians and even played in garage bands in the 1950s and 1960s. As a hobby, he began making amplifier speakers and sending them to friends around the United States. Ted took this hobby and turned it into a successful business now called Weber Speakers that has sent musical products all over the world for the past 14 years. In fact, the company currently employs 10 people. Because of his ingenuity, he has been affectionately referred to as “Ted the Guru” on various online music bulletin boards and blogs. Ted’s speakers are in amplifiers of many well-known national musicians, such as Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Joe Walsh, Trey Anastasia, Metallica, Derek Trucks, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn and Taylor Swift.

Despite his failing health this past year, he began to concentrate on a massive playground project for his grandchildren called “Weberland.”

Ted is survived by his loving wife of 38 years; his dear mother, Annie Weber; his son and daughter-in-law, T.A. and Heather Weber; his daughter and son-in-law, Teni and Josh Helmberger; five grandchildren, Lauren, Natalie and Kelsey Weber, Halle and A. J. Helmberger, all of Kokomo. (He even has two more due in early 2010.) Also surviving are his brother and sister-in-law, Terry and Carol Weber, of Fort Myers, Fla.; a sister and brother-in-law, Ellen and Kent Pyle all of Fort Wayne; a sister and brother-in-law, Elaine and Larry Kaylor, Kokomo; and several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Tuesday in St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 3155 S. 200 West, Kokomo, with the Rev. Fr. Ted Dudzinski as the celebrant. Entombment with military rites conducted by the U.S. Air Force and the Kokomo Military Rites Teams will follow in Sunset Memory Gardens. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Shirley and Stout Funeral Home, Lincoln Road Chapel, 1315 W. Lincoln Road.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ted to Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick Schools or the Kokomo Humane Society.

Online condolences can be sent to www.shirleyandstout.com

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