- Obituary, WATERLOO REGION RECORD, Kitchener, Ontario - Jul. 17, 2008
WEBER, C. Joshua - Suddenly went home to be with Jesus, on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, as the result of an accident. Joshua Weber, age 10 years, of Elmira, beloved son of Colin and Rhonda (Bauman) Weber; loving brother of Jordan and Mikayla. Lovingly remembered by paternal grandparents, David and Wilma Weber of Elmira; maternal grandparents, Laverne and Mary Bauman of RR 3, Listowel; paternal great-grandparents, Simeon and Susanna Weber of Gownstown, Emerson and Elvina Brubacher of St. Jacobs and maternal great-grandmother, Adline Bauman of Dorking. Cherished nephew of Jeremy and Judy Weber of Elmira, Juanita Bauman of Listowel, Darren and Marlene Bauman of Elmira, Trina and Robin Schertz of Goshen, Indiana and Shawn Bauman of Listowel. His cousins Ashton and Seth Weber, Brady and Alleah Schertz fondly remember all the hours of fun they had with Joshua. Joshua was a fun loving boy that lived life to the fullest. He had passion for sports and was part of the Woolwich Minor Soccer League. Many hours were spent playing road hockey with friends. Josh was a friend to everyone and had a huge heart. He will be greatly missed. The family will receive their friends and relatives at the Dreisinger Funeral Home «/b», Elmira on Friday, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. At 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2008 transfer will be made to the Koinonia Christian Fellowship, Bloomingdale for Funeral Service at 11 a.m. with Pastor George Schmidt officiating followed by interment in the Elmira Union Cemetery. In his memory, donations to Koinonia Kidzone Ministries or Crane Lake Discovery Camp would be appreciated by the family as expressions of sympathy.
Pond was popular spot with local kids July 17, 2008
Kevin Swayze RECORD STAFF; with files from Greg Mercer and Melinda Dalton, Record staff HAWKSVILLE
The pond where 10-year-old Joshua Weber drowned Tuesday was always "use at your own risk," the owners say. It was a created 12 years ago as a private playground for the six children of Keith and Diane Snyder on their farm just north of Hawkesville. It became a gathering spot for local Mennonite children, Keith Snyder said yesterday, and family friends were welcome to drop by and use it as they wished. "We told parents it was always at their own risk," Diane Snyder said. "They were to have someone here watching the children, older brothers . . . I can't be down here all the time watching over them." Joshua's family gathered last night to mourn an active boy who loved soccer and road hockey. His funeral is planned for Saturday in Elmira. The pond where Joshua drowned had become popular with local kids in recent years, Keith and Diane Snyder said. They couldn't keep unknown children and teenagers from playing there. "We told friends and family but they all have friends and family and word spread around," Diane said. Nobody will be using the pond for a while, her husband said. "We've closed it for the next two weeks out of respect for what happened," he said. The pond is about 30 metres long and 12 metres wide. It's outfitted with a long waterslide down a steep hill behind the house, a diving board and a swing on a pole. At the shallow end, there's a sandy beach for toddlers. Several picnic tables are beside the deep end, under a pavilion. The only previous accident at the pond was four summers ago. Two uninvited teens were playing on the water slide and crashed into one another. A 14-year-old suffered a gash down the side of his chest. Keith said he called an ambulance to take the boy to hospital for stitches. The Snyders aren't sure exactly what they'll do with the pond but were talking yesterday about severely limiting who is allowed to use it. Keith said the dozen boys swimming there Tuesday were all welcome guests, from families they know. "I don't want the parents to feel they weren't welcome," he said. "They were welcome." Waterloo Regional Police took down yellow tape around the pond yesterday morning, after a coroner toured the site. The Snyders understand the investigation is over. Joshua, from nearby Elmira, was playing on the swing when things went wrong just before 3 p.m., Keith said. From what the other children told him, it was the second time Joshua used the five-metre swing rope with a loop at the end. But when he began his swing, he let go early, hit the ground and bounced once into the water. He didn't surface and was under for at least 10 minutes. Keith and Diane were not at home at the time. They arrived soon after rescue crews were called, after neighbours spotted fire trucks rumbling through town towards the farm. When two volunteer firefighters dove into the pond trying to save Joshua, they broke rules against that kind of rescue. Both arrived at the farm in their own vehicles, after hearing about the drowning on their township pagers. Wellesley fire Chief Dave Geil praised the men -- both fathers of young children -- but said they weren't supposed to go in the water. "I think they did the right thing," Geil said. "They made an instinctive decision, but they put themselves in danger in the process." He said the fire department's policy would have been to attempt the rescue from land, possibly using a tube that would allow the men to look underwater. Drowning is the cause of death in nearly 15 per cent of fatalities among farm children under the age of 15, according to a study by the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program.
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