Long-time business owner and former Marietta City Council member Tony Weber died this week from complications of diabetes. He was 63. (Photo Provided)

A long-time business owner and former Marietta City Council member died this week.

Tony Weber, 63, of Marietta, took over Weber’s Grocery from his parents in 1988, and is being remembered for his love of the City of Marietta and its residents.

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Marietta resident Marty Kitchen had known the Weber family since she moved to town in 1969.

“He was very friendly and had a lot of friends,” she said. “He was a very nice guy. When we met him, it seemed like we knew him forever.”

She said he was also a member of the Marietta Boat Club and loved spending time on the river.

“It’s very sad he’s gone. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone,” she said.

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Former Marietta Mayor Joe Matthews said Weber was very caring about Marietta. He worked with Weber when he was on city council in the 1990s.

“We were different parties, but we always felt the people should be heard from,” Matthews said Thursday. “He was always considerate and very astute.”

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Marietta resident, former Marietta mayor and former Ohio governor Nancy Hollister said she’s known Weber “forever.”

“I knew him as a little boy,” she said. “We all kind of grew up together.”

She called him the “keeper of the corner of Scammel and Third,” where Weber’s Grocery is located.

“Tony was someone who would listen to what you had to say,” she said. “When he spoke, he had an opinion and he was going to tell you about it.”

Although he was “ornery and would give you his opinion loud and clear,” Hollister said she enjoyed his company and what he had to say.

“He was always ready to contribute and participate,” she added.

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Wayne Hunter had known Weber for about 12 years and they hung out together almost every day.

“I’m closer to him than possibly all the people in my family,” he said.

Hunter didn’t hesitate to talk about how much Weber had meant to him.

“I don’t know how I’m going to fill this void I have. My heart is broken. I lost my best friend and a brother,” he said. “We’ve done everything together. It’s a loss I can never explain.”

Hunter said he’s never had another friend like Weber. He explained how Weber would help anyone in need.

When Boley Enterprises caught fire last December, Weber raced into work to make coffee for the firefighters on the scene, Hunter said.

“He loved this town. He loved everything about it,” he said. “I looked so forward to spending time with him. He had a heart of gold … very smart and very wily but he’d give you just enough rope to hang yourself.”

He said they had a lot of great times and “he literally changed my life. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.

“I haven’t slept since I was told (of his passing). I was trying to honor our friendship,” he said.

He’s spent most of his time watching videos from their road trips “just to hear his voice.”

“It’s not real, but I know it is. I loved him beyond words. He had a strong faith. He knew where he was going,” Hunter said. “I can just celebrate and carry the torch.”