Erie car dealer Rick Weaver dies at 76
Richard "Rick" Weaver, a renowned Erie-area car dealer for more than four decades, died Monday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He was 76.
Weaver, a Michigan native, worked as a district manager for an Oldsmobile dealership in Western New York before he and his wife, Pamela, moved to Erie in 1981 to buy Plumpton Buick at West 12th and Liberty streets. He renamed the dealership to Rick Weaver Buick by 1982.
1946-2022: Richard "Rick" D. Weaver
The dealership would later sell other General Motors vehicles under the Opel and Pontiac brands, which the carmaker would later sell and dissolve, respectively.
Weaver played a much more integral role in the community than just running the business that carried his name. He was chairman of the board of corporators for Hamot Hospital — now UPMC Hamot — and served on the board of trustees of the Hamot Health Foundation.
He also served a stint as president of the Automobile Association of Erie County.
Matt Clark, the association's current president, said Weaver was always thoughtful, humble and personable. Weaver never boasted about his business's successes and he was always willing to work with local competitors, added Clark, who's the vice president and general manager of Humes Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Corry.
"He was just a damn good guy," Clark said. "He liked to chat about anything. He had a good group of friends."
Clark, who for the past 12 years has served as a board member of the Pennsylvania Automotive Association, said Weaver was always willing to help with association events that Clark would hold at his home.
"Rick always made sure he came and was always a lot of fun to be around," Clark, 58, said. "He was quite a storyteller, too. He told stories of what it (the industry) was like when he was younger."
Clark said Weaver was also a "great family man."
"The last time he was at my house he probably talked more about his grandkids than anything else," he said. "He didn't have chip on his shoulder, either. He was never talking about money or how many vehicles they had sold. None of that. He was also very attentive and would ask questions of you. It wasn't all about him."
Rick Weaver's background
Born July 28, 1946, to Nellie and Dick Weaver, Rick Weaver was raised in Lansing, Michigan, where he graduated from Sexton High School and later attended Michigan State University, according to his obituary. Weaver received bachelor's and master's degrees from Michigan State.
He was later drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the Pentagon until being discharged, according to his obituary. He then met Pamela, whom he would marry in 1974 and spend the next 48 years with. The couple had two children, Adam and Bethany, according to his obituary.
Weaver, of Fairview, sold his shares of the dealership in 2008, but remained an officer with the company. He returned as president in 2017 as the company — which he had not been active with for three years prior — faced legal issues.
Clark noted that Weaver, after retiring, spent ample time in Bonita Springs, Florida. According to his obituary, Weaver was an active volunteer homebuilder with Habitat for Humanity there for 15 years.
Weaver loved golf and for many years chaired an annual golf tournament put on by and for local dealerships.
He enjoyed boating on Lake Erie and was most fond of riding his John Deere Gator despite being "a car guy his whole life," according to his obituary.
Weaver is survived by his wife; a son, Adam J. Weaver (Katy); a daughter, Bethany Weaver Baney (Gregory), and seven grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wayside Presbyterian Church, 1208 Asbury Road.
Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com or on Twitter at @ETNRink.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Rick Weaver, Erie car dealer for four decades, dies after bout with cancer
