John Harry Weaver

John Harry Weaver, who resided in Manor Township for the last five years, passed away on March 11, 2026, surrounded by family and those he loved. Born in Elmira, New York, on August 15, 1946, to H. Carl Weaver and Kathryn V. Gehr Weaver, he returned to his ancestral Lancaster County and lived for most of his life at the family home, Stone Cliff, in Strasburg Township.

John’s first love was his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A lifelong worshiper, he faithfully attended St. Michael’s Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. After graduating from Lampeter-Strasburg High School, he studied at Oxford Academy in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and Potomac State University.

His second great passion was horses, which began at age ten with a Shetland pony. From 1967 onward, he worked professionally with Saddlebreds at the nationally recognized Greystone Manor Stables and later at another Saddlebred stable in Ohio. He went on to race Standardbreds at Syl King Stables and his own John H. Weaver Stables, eventually concluding his career by training horses and teaching horsemanship. John also generously gave his time to 4-H horse clubs, horse show judging, and the Greystone Manor Therapeutic Riding Center.

A faith-filled, authentic, loyal, and dutiful gentleman, John lived simply and without judgment, accepting people as they were. He read the Bible studiously, worshipped without fail, and met the world with enthusiasm, contagious laughter, and a broad smile. Deeply devoted to the horses he trained and the clients he taught, he fostered genuine relationships between riders and their horses, charging modest fees so that all could participate. Even through years of Parkinson’s disease and, more recently, terminal esophageal cancer, he never complained and continued to offer help to others despite his own limitations.

He is survived by his siblings, K. Anne Weaver Lengacher of Gordonville, C. Michael Weaver, Esquire, of Strasburg, and David Gehr Weaver and his wife Barbara of Oak Island, North Carolina, as well as nephews Tim Weaver, Daniel Weaver, and Carl Weaver. John’s beloved companion of 25 years, Kathy Steinmetz, together with Kass Steinmetz, cared for him with extraordinary love and devotion during his final five years in Manor Township. They became his earthly angels and cherished family, for which the Weaver family remains deeply grateful.