Donald Weder

Donald Erwin Weder was born on 18 August 1947 in Highland, Illinois, to Erwin H. Weder and Louise G. Weder. At Highland High School he was first chair cornet, won first chair soloist with the Illinois All-State Band in 1964 and 1965, and toured Europe with that band in 1964. He attended the University of Illinois from 1965 to 1966 and Bradley University from 1966 to 1969, graduating summa cum laude and as valedictorian with a B.S. in business management and specialties in speech and economics.

For about fifty years Weder led the family's manufacturing and agricultural firms, including Highland Supply Corporation, founded by his father in 1937, and Seven W Enterprises. He became president of Highland Supply in 1977 and remained deeply involved until 2026. His patents, concentrated in floral packaging but extending to inks, adhesives, coatings and medical device concepts, numbered more than 1,400 by the late 2010s. In August 2002 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded him the Thomas Edison Award after he passed Edison as the most prolific American U.S. patent holder. He served as a director of the Society of American Florists, a long-serving trustee of the American Floral Endowment, a director of Florist Mutual (Hortica), and a director of the First National Bank of Highland from 1978 to 1994. He also conserved timberland and historic properties in the Highland area.

Weder enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1969 after preparing with his own running and weight training program. At Fort Polk he posted the highest PT scores in his company, ran a 4:54 mile, and was named Trainee of the Cycle. He graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning in 1972 with the highest PT and scholastic scores in his class, was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was discharged as a captain in September 1978. In Oklahoma during Reserve service he met Phyllis Ann Styron; they married and later marked 51 years together. He held multi-engine airline transport pilot and instructor ratings, logged more than 8,000 PIC hours, and received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in 2015. Family, marksmanship and conservation filled much of his private time.

Weder died on 22 September 2026 at his home on Deck's Prairie in Highland, Illinois, at the age of 79, after a brief illness, with his family present. Meridith Funeral Home of Highland handled arrangements. Visitation was held on 28 and 29 September 2026, with a funeral service on 29 September at the funeral home and private burial on Deck's Prairie. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Dona L. Abbott. Survivors include his wife Phyllis Ann Weder; children Erwin M., Andrew S., David A. and Annie M. Blackwell; nine grandchildren; three sisters; and four great-grandchildren.

Weder is remembered as one of America's most prolific inventors and as the longtime steward of Highland Supply and related family enterprises that shaped modern floral packaging. The hinged plastic Easter egg and related florist products remain among his best known commercial inventions, while the Thomas Edison Award and the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award mark the twin public recognitions of his inventive and aviation careers. In Highland and the wider floriculture industry he left a record of board service, conservation and family business continuity through his children.