Morris man made many friends at Saratoga Tower

MORRIS – Terrified of spiders, Susan McDaniel, administrative assistant at the Grundy County Housing Authority in Morris, glanced above her. Hanging directly above her was a large, fuzzy, Halloween-decoration-type spider.

On another occasion, while checking the resident mailbox, Susan slid her hand into a mass of rubber spiders.

“I screamed and mail went flying all over the room,” Susan said.

Alfred Charles “Bud” Weigell, 78, a resident at Saratoga Tower, had planted the spiders, but Susan wasn’t upset. It was friendly teasing to Bud, who – over time – had become Susan’s good friend.

“When he came in to pay his rent, he was pretty gruff,” she said, “but I just killed him with kindness until he opened up to me.”

During their seven-year friendship, Bud made copies of music for Susan that they both enjoyed, talked with her often and threw her a surprise birthday party. If Bud was not feeling well – and he had a number of health issues, Susan said – she would run his errands.

“He knew a lot,” Susan said. “He liked to argue with people about things – particularly HUD rules – but he was on top of everything.”

Bud’s vast knowledge shone through his passion for model railroads and his detailed knowledge of both the Rock Island and Norfolk & Western Railways. A 2007 Morris Daily Herald story detailed Bud’s 4-by-8-foot HO-scale model train layout, which included mountains along with buildings that he’d wired to light up.

Bud had peopled those buildings with great detail, to make places such as the post office, radio shack and Granny’s Diner appear realistic. Jean Davidson, one of Bud’s neighbors, said she brought her great-grandchildren to see Bud’s trains.

“He had thousands of dollars tied up in it,” Jean said. “It was amazing.”

Bud, Jean said, also bought and paid for a windmill and the swings that sat outside Saratoga Tower. He’d bring Jean strawberries when he bought them on sale, and if he ordered a pizza, he’d bring a portion of it to Jean, insisting he couldn’t finish it.

Each year, Bud bought a large, live Christmas tree – along with the lights and ornaments – for the alcove on his floor. Two of the residents would decorate it, Jean said.

Although trees were set up in the main area downstairs, the sixth floor at Saratoga was the only floor that had its own tree, Jean added.

This year, Jean said, Bud put it up early, a couple days before Thanksgiving. Bud was 78 when he died Thanksgiving Day.

“He must have known he was in bad shape,” Jean said, thinking of Bud setting up the tree earlier than was his habit.

In his will, Bud specified that the Grundy County Housing Authority would dispose of his possessions, said Brent Newman, CEO of the housing authority. If the possessions are sold, proceeds are to go to the GCHA Resident Council, Brent added.

Nancy Murley, GCHA resident council president, said Bud was a quiet man, one who didn’t brag about his kind deeds, his past or his family – if he had any, she added.

“Evidently, he decided the residents were his family,” Nancy said.

Brent feels Bud’s life is an extraordinary example of paying less attention to a person’s words and more to his actions. Bud’s words could be fierce, but his actions demonstrated how deeply he cared for the residents of Saratoga Tower, Brent said.

“He was my friend,” Brent said, “and I’m going to miss him.”