Geraldine London "Gerry" Weiss

Weiss, Geraldine



London "Gerry"



Aug. 7, 1927 - May 14, 2014



Geraldine (Gerry) London Weiss, formerly of Kingston and Dallas, Pennsylvania and Sarasota, Florida passed away May 14, 2014 after a long battle with cancer which she courageously fought for nearly five years. She lived her life to the fullest and refused to give up, accepting her fate but not bowing to it. Mrs. Weiss lived her young years in Gary, Indiana with her parents Maurice and Jeanette London and her sister Dorothy. She graduated from Horace Mann High School as Valedictorian and then from the University of Michigan with both a B.B.A. and an M.B.A. from their school of Business Administration being the only woman in her Masters program. Mrs. Weiss was elected to the Business School Honorary Beta Gamma Sigma and the all school Honorary Phi Kappa Phi. It was at the University of Michigan that she met her husband, Stanford (Sandy) Weiss whom she married in 1949 while both were college students. They recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in January of 2014. Gerry and Sandy briefly resided in Boston and Philadelphia, but settled down into the Wilkes-Barre area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1953 where Sandy joined his family business Triangle Shoes which comprised retail stores throughout the mid-Atlantic area. Mr. and Mrs. Weiss resided in Northeastern Pennsylvania for 60 years before moving to Sarasota full time in 2007 after having "snowbird" status for 16 years. Mrs. Weiss was committed to making a difference in her community, serving as an officer and board member of the following organizations: Welfare Planning Council, Planned Parenthood of Luzerne County and Planned Parenthood of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley United Way, Penn's Wood Girl Scout Council, Maternal Health Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Ecumenical Enterprises, Wyoming Valley Jewish Committee, The Jewish Community Center, National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, and Temple B'nai B'rith Sisterhood. She served as Women's Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal and as a chairperson of various United Way Divisions for its annual drive. When not involved with community service, Mrs. Weiss enjoyed playing bridge, enjoyed the challenge of crossword puzzles, was an avid reader, played mahjongg, loved theater, symphony and movies, and was always current on politics, being concerned with how current events may effect the future. She was a lifelong learner continuing to take classes in Sarasota. Mrs. Weiss was deeply committed to her family, and took special pleasure from her two children, their spouses and her four grandchildren and was very proud of them. Her family always knew how much she loved them and how steadfastly she stood in their corner. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her, but most of all by her family. Mrs. Weiss is survived by her husband Stanford (Sandy) Weiss of Sarasota, Florida, her children Dr. Richard (Maureen) Weiss of Ormond Beach, Fla. and her daughter Marilyn Avery (fiancé William Campbell) of Cortland, New York and her sister Dorothy Weiskopf of Vernon Hills, Illinois. Mrs. Weiss is also survived by her beloved grandchildren: grandsons Emerson R. Avery (Dr. Sarah Longworth) of Philadelphia, Pa. and Michael Avery of Boston, Mass, and granddaughters Laura Weiss of Charlotte, North Carolina and Sasha Weiss of Orlando, Florida. Mrs. Weiss would like to thank Dr. Caryn Silver and all the staff of the Florida Cancer Specialists in Sarasota as well as Halifax Health Hospice of Volusia/Flagler County for the loving medical care they provided her during her illness. Mrs. Weiss was buried in Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Daytona Beach, Florida in a private family service. Family will be at home to friends at the Weiss apartment at Kobernik House in Sarasota on Sunday May 25th from 2:00-4:00 PM. Memorial gifts if desired can be made to the following charities which she designated: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, P.O. Box 97166, Washington, DC 20077-7543 or to Hadassah, 50 West 58th St., New York, NY. 10019-2500.