John Paul Weeden passed away March 22, 2025. He was the son of Norman Paul and Ruth Walcott Olmsted Weeden, born on September 26, 1946, in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico. He had three siblings: Ellen Jean (Susie, deceased), Janet Ruth, and James Roland Weeden (deceased). During high school he decided to be called by his middle name Paul.
His father worked for the US Forest Service and moved often for promotion. He spent his youth in New Mexico, Arizona, and Virginia. Paul served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Chili and spoke Spanish fluently. When he came home, he went to college, majoring in forestry management, and graduated from the University of Idaho.
Paul began his service as a seasonal employee. Beginning in 1965, he worked summers as a fishery biologist aide at Yellowstone National Park and as a Park Technician at Joshua Tree with duties and responsibilities primarily in law enforcement.
Paul got a job at Grand Canyon National Park and worked there for about six years as a park ranger employed in law enforcement. He also drove the ambulance and used his climbing rappelling skills when needed. He met his wife, Barbara Dean, while working at the Grand Canyon.
After his father retired from the US Forest Service, Paul was able to start his career with the US Forest Service. He worked on the Elden District, Coconino National Forest in Flagstaff, AZ for about six months on the fire crew. He received a promotion to work in Timber as the marking crew foreman at Blue Ridge Ranger Station. He worked and lived on the station for a year.
He took another promotion to Douglas, AZ on the Coronado National Forest as the District Recreation and Lands sub staff with responsibilities over minerals, special uses, and personal use firewood. During this time, he brushed up on his Spanish. He worked there for two and a half years.
Another promotion came along on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, based at Big Bar, CA. He was responsible for Recreation, Wilderness, Range, Special Uses and legitimate mining activities. He also served on two type-two fire teams as Resource Unit Leader, Demobilization Unit Leader, and Trainee Plans Chief. He spent five years working there while living on the ranger station for three of those years and in Weaverville for the last two years. He said that he “enjoyed his time working there the most in his career.”
The forest service office in Washington, D.C., was his next position and where the family spent the next three and a half years. He was the Defense and Emergency Operations Specialist on the Fire and Aviation Staff and was to help coordinate the forest service’s involvement in international and national disaster responses when the forest service was asked to provide equipment and personnel after disasters. He also requested to be put in charge of the Smokey Bear Program while working there as it was a responsibility that his father had also managed. The first International Fire Conference was held in Boston and he was on the committee that organized the conference. He worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in their response to hurricanes (like Hugo and Gilbert) and earthquakes (like the Loma Prieta quake in the San Francisco area). He worked closely with the International Forestry Staff and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and coordinated forest service employees being sent to help in foreign countries where a natural disaster had just occurred. Some examples of the emergencies he helped with were: African locust infestations, an earthquake in Russia; a train wreck in Russia; an earthquake in Nicaragua, large wildland fires in Indonesia, Argentina, Guatemala and Mexico.
Paul’s last position was as the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the San Bernardino National Forest in California, which he worked there for 12 years. The Hon. Jerry Lewis of the California House of Representatives stated, “As manager of a 440-person agency with a $24 million budget, Mr. Weeden has helped guide the forest into the 21st Century as a verdant oasis in one of the largest urban areas in the world. Even as he watched over the San Bernardino National Forest, Mr. Weeden in 1998 coordinated American aid to Mexico in response to the worst wildland fire season in that nation’s history. He has since provided guidance and leadership to Mexico’s firefighting, detection and prevention programs, as well as helping in the restoration of important natural lands.”
He traveled to Spain, Brazil, and Mexico during his career and received numerous awards for the work he did.
In 2001, Paul retired and worked for Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. It is a company that develops geographic information system (GIS) software. He worked there for a few months.
The family moved to Phoenix, AZ in June of 2002. He spent his time consulting intermittently for about five years, investing in the stock market, fishing at his secret waterhole and fly fishing at Lee’s Ferry. He also enjoyed waterskiing, houseboating on Lake Powell in the summers, and serving in his church.
Paul was recognized for his service with the Boy Scouts of America with the Silver Beaver Award. He was very proud of being able to help many of the young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his two sons, Adam Michael Weeden and Dr. Brandon Paul Weeden and his wife Kelli Weeden; eight grandchildren: Tyson Cheval, Michael Weeden, Emma Weeden, Hailey Weeden, Brayden Weeden, Olivia Weeden, Lexi Weeden, and Graysen Weeden; and his sister, Janet Weeden.
A Memorial Service will be held April, 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3527 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix, AZ.
Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.
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