Jay Lawrence Weight (1930 - 2011)

Born 1 Apr 1930 in Springville, Utah, Utah, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Bonnadell D Smith — married 14 Feb 1953 (to about Dec 1967) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 15 Oct 2011 at age 81 in Washington, Washington, Utah, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Julie Weight [send private message]

Biography

Jay was born in 1930 to Willis (Wick) Alfred Weight and Mary Jane (Hogan) Weight, at the family home in Springville, Utah. He is the sixth of eight children. He was a child of the Great Depression, and the entire family worked hard to put food on the table during those times. Jay milked cows and did other chores.

When Jay graduated high school in 1947, he worked for a year or two, then enrolled in college at Brigham Young University. He dropped out at the end of the first semester (Christmas time) and went to Davis Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border, where his older brother, Bob, was a structural engineer and he was able to get employment there.

After working at Davis Dam for a few months, Jay enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on 17 March 1950. He wanted to be a pilot, but at 6'-6" and with an overabundance of WW2 pilots, that dream didn't become a reality. Instead, he took private lessons and received a student pilot license when he was 22. He went to basic training at Lackland AFB, near San Antonio, Texas, and received technical training at Keelsler AFB, in Mississippi. He was later stationed at Norton AFB, near Pasadena, California, where he was a control tower operator. While there, he met my mother, Bonnadell (Bonnie) Smith and they were married on February 14, 1953. He later transferred to Oxnard AFB, in Port Hueneme, where their oldest child was born. When he was discharged in March 1954, they had three children. He wanted to finish his education, so they moved to Logan, Utah, so he could attend Utah State University. He received a degree Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, also studying Industrial Engineering. During that time, their fourth child was born. When he was done, the family moved back to Pasadena, California.

Bonnie and Jay eventually divorced in 1967 and Bonnie and the children moved back to Logan, Utah.

Personal Memories

Good things I remember about my father:

• Like my brother and I, he was left handed.
• He loved to go camping.
• We would beg him to let us shoot the little pellet gun he had. I'm pretty sure he had real guns, but he only let us target shoot with the pellet gun.
• He was extremely intelligent.
• He was a good mechanic and handyman, fixing things around the house.
• He always had some kind of woodworking project going.
• He loved airplanes and I have fond memories of being taken to local air shows. Our favorite was the "Blue Angels."
• He loved music and reading. He could often be found sitting in front of the stereo, playing records and reading.

• Fact: Residence (1940) Ward 1, Springville, Springville Election Precinct, Utah, Utah, United States
• Fact: Residence (1940) Springville Election Precinct, Springville, Ward 1, Utah, Utah

• Fact: Burial Miramar, San Diego, California, United States

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 12 February 2022, 14:41), entry for Jay Lawrence Weight (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:KWZQ-Z1R ); contributed by various users.
• Child of subject
• Jay L. Weight history written by sister, Linda Weight Cluff (partial extract)