Paulette P. Weaver, retired City Council administrative assistant and program director for the Urban Affairs Coalition, has died at 80
She was an aide to John F. White Jr. during his City Council terms in the 1980s and had stints with the Urban Affairs Coalition before and after.
Paulette P. Weaver, 80, of Philadelphia, retired administrative assistant to City Councilman John F. White Jr., former program director for the Urban Affairs Coalition, paralegal, church activist, and volunteer, died Friday, Sept. 26, of Alzheimer’s disease at her home in Roxborough.
Mrs. Weaver was adept at organizing complex social programs and energizing colleagues and the public, her family said. She served as White’s administrative assistant during his two terms in City Council in the 1980s and had two stints as an organizer and program director for the Urban Affairs Coalition in the 1970s and ’90s.
She helped White represent the city’s 9th District and participated in his efforts to improve the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, the Emergency Utility Fund, the foster care system, and other services. In 1986, she talked to The Inquirer about White’s concern over the rise of prostitution in the 9th District and said: “It’s something that’s been there for at least two years, that we’ve been aware of in terms of high visibility. I’m sure it’s been there for years. It’s just starting to be open and more visible.”
She and White also addressed a temporary city ban on the sale of distressed homes in the 9th District that caused concern among homeowners. “We did this thinking we were making a real good move,” she said in 1986. “But some of the homeowners are pitching a fit. People are starting to get fearful that they’re going to lose everything.”
She worked in the same district that current Mayor Cherelle L. Parker once represented, and Parker recently recognized Mrs. Weaver’s contributions.
At the Urban Affairs Coalition in the 1970s, Mrs. Weaver focused on program analysis, community organization relations, and summer jobs programs. She returned to the coalition in the 1990s after leaving White’s office and was director of its Project Connect job initiative and the Work Ready Program that helped former prisoners earn General Educational Development certificates and find jobs.
“She had a strong sense of community and family,” her family said in a tribute.
Later, she directed jobs programs for the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp. and supervised the human relations department of a private company. Her first job was as a law firm paralegal.
She was also active with Communities United, a coalition of neighborhood organizations, and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. She volunteered as a block captain and as a fundraiser for several groups, and belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star.
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Mrs. Weaver attended Greater Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church when she was young and White Rock Baptist Church later. She taught Sunday school at White Rock for decades and held leadership roles with the church’s Young and Adult Auxiliary, and Sheepfold Ministry.
It was the early connections with her extended family and the church, her son Walter said, that induced her to pursue her community and political efforts. “She was bubbly and always willing to help out,” her son said. “She was detail-oriented and able to take the helm and be a leader.”
Paulette Presley was born Feb. 1, 1945, in North Philadelphia. She graduated from Kensington High School and studied at Temple University. She was an only child, but her mother had 11 siblings, and Mrs. Weaver remained close to her aunts and uncles and their families.
She met Walter Weaver Jr. at Temple, and they married in 1966, had sons Walter III and Henry, and lived in Mount Airy. “She made sure that her sons always had the best opportunities to succeed,” her family said. “Memories of her love and sacrifice will be cherished.”
She and her husband divorced later and remained friends, and she moved to Roxborough. He died in 2014.
Mrs. Weaver cared for her mother and enjoyed cooking, hosting, and singing her favorite hymns at church on Sundays. She created custom-made gift baskets for special occasions and listened exclusively to church music.
She especially loved Christmas and told her sons there was no excuse for missing her holiday dinners. “Whatever the occasion,” her family said, “it was guaranteed there was food involved, and she was spearheading the logistics and hosting a good time.”
In addition to her sons, Mrs. Weaver is survived by a grandson and other relatives.
Services were held Thursday, Oct. 9.
Donations in her name may be made to White Rock Baptist Church, 5240 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19139.