Raymond Dale Weathers

(Aug 31, 1936 — Nov 3, 2026)

Raymond Dale Weathers was born in Stephenville, Texas on August 31, 1936, and died at his home in Dallas surrounded by family November 3, 2026. Dale is best remembered for his gentleness, compassion, and self deprecating humor. He claimed he avoided controversy because he did not want to lose what few friends he had left. When called miserly, he embraced the compliment.

Dale attended Stephenville High School and Tarleton State University. He received a B.A. from the University of Texas, Austin and wrote his Master’s Thesis on the Great Plains with Texas scholar Walter Prescott Webb in 1967. Commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1960, he served as the assistant operations officer in the Provost Marshal’s office, Fort Hood, Texas. After active duty, he served nineteen years in the Army Reserve before retiring in 1984 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts of America, however, was his proudest achievement. He said that attending Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, and participating in the 1953 BSA Jamboree in Irvine, California were the most transformative experiences of his youth.

Dale married his high school sweetheart, Sue Kenny at Bluff Dale (Texas) Methodist Church, July 21, 1961. They were devoted partners for 75 years and married for 65.

Dale’s fifty-four year career began as a six-year-old dishwasher in his father Earl Weathers’ sandwich shop in Stephenville, standin on a Dr. Pepper crate to reach the sink. He also delivered the Fort Worth Star Telegram in Stephenville 1946-1958. In high school and college he supplemented paperboy duties with the coolest summer job in town: Dale was the “inside man” at the Stephenville Ice House, feeding the ice chopper and fishing cigarette butts out of NeHi bottles. After his military service, he was employed by State Farm Insurance for thirty-one years as a commercial underwriter with CPCU accreditation, always known around the office as the guy with a helpful word and postage stamps in his desk to “lend” free to colleagues.

After retirement, Dale devoted himself to nature photography, traveling in North America, and honing his handyman skills. Dale was never striving for perfection, but always following his motto “do no harm.”

Dale and Sue also self-published a dozen books about America’s scenic beauty as well experiences of his ancestors and contemporary family using their own photographs and writing.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Reason Earl and Nell Drake Weathers of Stephenville; sister, Clara Nell Meehan of Fort Worth; and brother, Kenneth Earl Weathers of Boise, Idaho.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Sue Kenny Weathers of Dallas, daughter Rachel Weathers Farrin, son-in-law J. Scott Farrin, grandchildren Evangeline and William Farrin of Dallas, nephews Dan Meehan (Susy), and Kevan Meehan (Pattie) of Dallas, nieces Karan Meehan Koonsman of Chalk Mountain, and Melody Weathers Wilson of Boise, Idaho, and many beloved grand nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at Stephenville Funeral Home at 12 noon, Saturday, November 7, 2026, followed by burial under the post oak trees at the Acrea Cemetery, County Road 150, Erath County, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Friends of WRR FM Dallas Donate Now — Friends of WRR P.O. Box 12323 Dallas, TX 75225 or Philmont Scout Ranch https://give.scouting.org/a/philmont-camperships?_gl=17m6hhw_gaMTkyNjczMzE0OC4xNzM3MDQ2Nzcz_ga_61V2K3PX70czE3OTM2MzgyNTQkbzMzNCRnMSR0MTc5MzYzODI1NyRqNTckbDAkaDA. Philmont Scout Ranch 17 Deer Run Road Cimarron, NM 87714