Charlie Weldon lived for family, and Indian Lake: a life on the water

It was ritual.

Saturday mornings at 8, Charlie Weldon would rise out of the water, his body parallel to the surface of Indian Lake, shooting out rooster tails as he slalomed back and forth in an aquatic ballet that was a joy to watch.

It was that way for decades, with Weldon skiing on both water and snow into his 80s, slowed only by the cancer that would take his life Monday at the age of 88 — but never losing the passion for his beloved Indian Lake.

The small, man-made lake in the Morris County town of Denville was a centerpiece of Weldon’s life. And he was the driving force in keeping it a vibrant and welcoming community for nearly 100 years.

“He would sit out there looking at the lake many times and say, ‘This is heaven,’” said Terry, his wife of 52 years. “He was very proud of Indian Lake.”

Over his lifetime, Weldon served for decades on the lake’s board of trustees, including two terms as president, and he received special recognition in 2018 for his work with the community. He was named king of the lake in 1958 in a longstanding — to this day — tradition that honors a pair of high school seniors (including Weldon’s granddaughter Caroline in 2022). And he worked for many years with the township to lobby for improvements to the lake and its associated properties.

Weldon and his wife, Terry, were named Mr. and Mrs. Indian Lake in 1991. He was also the lake’s de facto historian — a repository of knowledge, documents and stories that were at once invaluable, entertaining and informative.

“His passion for the lake and making sure the lake stays up and running was unparalleled," said Brian Flynn, a longtime lake member. “The lake has lost somebody that cared and loved the lake more than anyone. Charlie, he embodied the lake. It was like it was his.”

Charlie Weldon was born in Union City in January 1935, the son of Charles and Helen Weldon, a hardworking couple who found themselves raising three children in the midst of the Great Depression.

In those years, Indian Lake was in its infancy and served as a summer getaway for city dwellers. It was founded in 1924 after developers purchased the land for $72,000, creating the lake and building a neighborhood of summer cottages on 300 acres.

Weldon’s parents had friends who were among the first to rent a cottage on the lake, introducing the family to the getaway. After renting themselves, the Weldon family purchased their first house on the lake for $6,000 in 1938.

Among the neighborhood’s first year-round residents, Weldon grew up in Denville, attending high school in Boonton and working at a local candy shop.

“He learned to save money,” said Terry Weldon. “He was a saver. Unless he needed something, he did not spend it.”

After high school, Weldon enlisted in the Army along with childhood friend Charlie Fischer, another lifelong lake member.

Weldon served in Germany during the Korean War and then returned to Denville and found work as an apprentice in a machinist shop.

“My dad was not a good student, self-admittedly,” said Weldon’s daughter Suzanne DeMichele. “But he was an extremely hard worker.”

That hard work led to a lifelong career, which ended when he retired from a job at Nuclear Research Corp. in Dover, working in the nuclear instrument division, which made radiation detection equipment for ballistic submarines and Apache helicopters.

Weldon never really retired, though. He was called back to work and then served as a consultant for years.

His work ethic was surpassed only by his devotion to family and Indian Lake. Weldon was happiest when he was on skis — be it on water or snow.

And that’s how he met his wife, Terry Lagomarsino, through membership in a couple of Morris County ski clubs, Craigmeur and Highlights.

He was the last of his friends to settle down, and the first time he asked Terry on a date it was to a wedding. True to form, he began his courtship as Terry was planning a ski trip for one of the clubs.

“My dad was passionate about skiing,” DeMichele said. “We would go out west every year. At 83, when he got sick, he was still doing three trips a year to Jackson Hole, skiing in the trees. He outlasted everyone.”

That longevity was buoyed by daily workouts at the Lakeland Hills YMCA, where he was named the "Denville Citizen of the Year" in 2011.

Weldon married Terry in 1971, and the pair lived in Ledgewood for a time. But Weldon always wanted to return to Indian Lake. They eventually did, first moving to East Shore Road and then to a home on Lenape Island, reachable by a low-slung bridge that he once infamously skied under.

Surrounded by water, Weldon was in his glory. And he shared his passion for the lake by teaching an untold number of people how to water-ski over the decades; starting a water ski club; and organizing an Independence Day ski show — where he would often ski dressed as Uncle Sam, holding an American flag as he skimmed across the water.

“Whether it was water sports or just hanging out on weekends, he loved seeing people out in the community,” DeMichele said. “It’s the environment and that sense of community.”

The sense of belonging was something Weldon made sure he embodied every day, Flynn said.

“Charlie would pretty much do anything for anyone here at the lake or anywhere," Flynn said. "He was the first to help with whatever project you had going on.”

In addition to Terry, Weldon is survived by son Michael, daughter Suzanne and grandchildren Caroline Weldon, Emma Weldon, Brynn Weldon, Mia DeMichele and Vivian DeMichele. He was predeceased by two sisters, Marilyn Tatka and Patricia Clackner.

Visitation will be held on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Norman Dean Home for Services in Denville. A funeral Mass will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, also in Denville.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Charlie Weldon lived for family, and Indian Lake NJ