Erald Weigand's Obituary
Erald Weigand was born in 1998 in Manila, the capital city of The Philippines. He came to the United States in 2008 to join his new family after a time at Bukid Kabataan Center in General Trias City, leaving behind language, culture, food, extended family and friends. As a kid, he enjoyed biking, sports, and adventure. He was extremely athletic. He earned a black belt in Taekwondo, was a great basketball player, mastered American football but didn’t grow as much as his peers, so he switched to soccer in high school. He was an artist who loved to draw. He loved music of all kinds. He sang loudly in the shower and in the car. He spent hours perfecting songs on the piano and drums, and played trombone in the band where he spent more time socializing than playing. School was easy for him, but his friends were more important. Everyone in town knew him and wanted to be his friend. He went on mission trips with his church, loved to help people, and always saw the best in people. As an adult, he struggled with the way his brain was wired, and fought to overcome the trauma of his early childhood. He read voraciously and took every class he was offered, studying electronics, business, engineering, math, accounting, psychology, parenting and relationships. He loved nature and the beach and wanted to visit Hawaii. He joked that he was Hawaiian, but he never got there. He dreamed of owning his own business, mastering technical trades, and living somewhere in nature, but he struggled to escape the catch-22’s of our justice system. He died after a short illness while in the custody of our criminal justice system, a system that failed him more times than can be counted. He’s survived by his parents, Mike and Cathy, who loved him through it all, his siblings Bea, Mel and John, his extended family who always accepted and encouraged him, and a multitude of friends. His family will remember his love of great food, his infectious laughter, and his kidney crushing hugs. We are grateful for the fiercely compassionate people who made it possible for us to see Erald in the last hours of his life. We are also grateful that E's high school English teacher recently sent this poem that he wrote. "I Am From" I am from the dusty pictures from the sandy sandals and the wet swimsuit. I am from the big bright blue house in the center of the world where it can remind me of the good days. I am from the yellow dandy lion The apple tree that stood through the seasons I am from the opened gifts on christmas and a family of differences from my old grandma and my grandpa I'm from happy thanksgiving I am from "go and play outside" and "live your life" and Amazing grace. I'm from the picnic on a grassy field. I'm from the erupting mountains and by the hot wavy ocean and antarctica, gravy and mash potatoes From the "I was the only person in the world" Living on a sandy beach, waking up to the beautiful sunsets the t-shirts coloured with rainbow from the hot summery beach of florida. I am Erald Weigand His memorial service will be held Saturday, April 11th, 2026 at Sugar River United Methodist Church, 415 W Verona Ave, Verona, WI. Visitation will begin at 12:30, with the service at 2:30. Rev. Ben Weger, a friend of the family, will preside. You can join us online at the link below. There will be cookies and drinks after the service. https://www.youtube.com/@sugarriverumc7503/streams Memorial gifts can be made in Erald's name to Expo of Wisconsin, where they work to "end mass incarceration and dismantle structural discrimination”. https://expowisconsin.org/donate
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