Perseverance Through Dance

On March 11, 2020, the delicate white Snowy Egret feather on the mahogany table in my dimly lit hallway was on the tiled floor.  It was a sign to me that my dad was going to pass.  Early the next morning I received a message that he had passed away.

My father, Robert Weyers, was a businessman, honored veteran, teacher, husband, friend, and grandfather. He left a legacy of how to persevere in difficult times with dance. He was also religious, honorable, hardworking, ethical, and gave unselfishly to others.

As the oldest of six, born on Father’s Day, some of my fondest memories are dancing with my father.  Swirling me around the dance floor at age seven, I would laugh as he taught me the joy of dance.  My parents started a generation of dance lovers. At 15 years old, my mother, Alice, spent her time with my father at the Nightingale Ballroom in the town of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  The ballroom featured big bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Lawrence Welk, Guy Lombardo, and many others.  Television was not invented yet, so dancing was the best means of entertainment.  My parents had a lot of fun dancing the Jitterbug, Polka, Waltz, and Two-step Square Dance.  Their favorite dance song was the “Tennessee Waltz”.

In 1952, when my parents were married, my dad was drafted and fought in the Korean War.  He was discharged in September 1954, as a Sergeant First Class. The Army awarded him the Korean Service Ribbon, Bronze Campaign Star, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and Combat Infantry Badge.

Realizing they needed dance, within a year, they reincorporated it into their lives.  My father continued serving his country as a 30-year member of the American Legion Post 436 of Wrightstown, Wisconsin, where he served as Post Commander and Chairman of the Finance Committee.  He was also the commander of the Veterans of Foreign War in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  He was initiated into the brotherhood of Kaukauna Elks Lodge No 962 in 1976 where he served as Exalted Ruler. In 2019 he received the “Citizen of the Year” award from the Kaukauna Elks. 

Upon retirement, my parents danced on Sunday afternoons at the Cecil Ballroom to a 12-piece orchestra that played songs such as “In the Mood,” “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” and many more.  They hired the Eddie Larsen Orchestra to perform for their 50^th wedding anniversary.  When my brothers and sisters started their own families, they incorporated dance into their lives as well.

Later in life, I started taking dance lessons.  I have competed in various competitions and dance shows and have written for various dance publications about other dancers, “Joy of Dance.”  I am grateful my father introduced our family to dance.