THOMAS JAMES WEISBECKER SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The Thomas James Weisbecker Scholarship Fund was established to honor the life, work, and enduring legacy of Thomas James Weisbecker — a gifted teacher, minister, counselor, advocate, and compassionate community leader whose life was dedicated to uplifting others through love, education, spirituality, and service.

Thomas was born in the San Francisco Bay Area on March 19, 1981, with a rare congenital condition that caused him lifelong physical pain and challenges. Yet from the very beginning, he was surrounded by extraordinary love. Through the unwavering devotion of his parents, Francine and Gerard Weisbecker, and the support and protection of his older brothers, Mathew and Michael, Thomas grew up knowing acceptance, safety, and belonging. That foundation of love shaped the person he would become and informed the compassion he extended so freely to others throughout his life.

Those who knew Thomas remember a man who consistently chose compassion over bitterness, inclusion over judgment, and hope over fear. He possessed a rare ability to make people feel truly seen, accepted, and valued. Despite the challenges he carried privately, he moved through the world with humor, grace, warmth, and emotional courage.

Thomas studied Philosophy and Design at the University of San Francisco before earning a Master’s Degree in Theology from Loyola Marymount University in 2011. He later completed a second Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Psychology from the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology while continuing his lifelong exploration of spirituality, healing, and human growth.

Throughout his life, Thomas served young people and faith communities with deep empathy and authenticity. He worked as a Youth Minister for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at Corpus Christi Parish and St. Mel’s, helping young people navigate questions of identity, belonging, faith, and self-worth with kindness and understanding.

While living in Dallas, Thomas served as Director of Congregational Life at Cathedral of Hope, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ church, where he helped create inclusive and affirming spiritual spaces grounded in dignity, compassion, and radical acceptance.

Thomas met his beloved husband and soulmate, Vibay Chandran Weisbecker, in Los Angeles in 2009. Together for sixteen years and married in 2013, the two shared a partnership defined by profound devotion, laughter, intellectual companionship, adventure, and unconditional love. Together they built a life rooted in creativity, spirituality, community, and care for others. Those closest to them often described them as two people who were truly made for one another.

After returning to California, Thomas and Vibay made their home in Santa Paula, where Thomas continued his work in ministry, wellness, and community service. In 2025, he became Congregational Director at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Santa Paula and was elected to the Board of Directors of Spirit of Santa Paula, a nonprofit organization dedicated to community wellness and dignity for all.

The Thomas James Weisbecker Scholarship Fund exists to carry forward Thomas’s belief that every young person deserves encouragement, opportunity, belonging, and the freedom to become fully themselves. This scholarship supports youth who demonstrate compassion, resilience, intellectual curiosity, authenticity, service to others, and a commitment to building a more humane and inclusive world.

Thomas’s life reminds us that true legacy is not measured by status or recognition, but by the lives we touch, the people we uplift, and the love we leave behind.