Weaver, Gallasneed

Gallasneed Weaver, a retired American  Indian pastor in Alabama, died July 13. He was 76.

A native of McIntosh, Weaver served as pastor of Rivers Baptist Church, McIntosh, for 30 years until he retired in the mid-90s. Rivers Baptist is one of only a few American Indian churches affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.

While serving as pastor of Rivers, Weaver also was an educator for the Washington County School Board.

For 25 years, he served as principal of Reed’s Chapel Elementary School in McIntosh and was a recipient of the National Education Award for Alabama.

Weaver also was involved with American Indian work. He was a former chairman of Alabama Indian Affairs Commission and a former council member of the Mowa Choctaw tribe. He was appointed by three Alabama governors to serve as a member of the National Congress of American Indians.

A graduate of Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla., Weaver also served in the U.S. Army and was awarded the National Eagle Feather Award for Alabama Indian Affairs.

“He and the others of his generation were very important in keeping [the American Indian] churches alive and very important in serving the community. They’ve been very, very important to the community and Baptist work in Washington County,” said Glenn L. Vernon, director of missions for the Isbell Indian Baptist Fellowship. “[Weaver] was very compassionate and very caring.”

At the time of his death, Weaver was a member of First Baptist Church, North Mobile, in Saraland.

Weaver is survived by his wife of 50 years, Laretta; two children; and nine grandchildren. (TAB)