Dr. Thomas John Weiner

1952 - 2020

Dr. Thomas John Weiner, V.M.D. of Brant Beach, N.J. died on December 1, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Beverly (nee LoBiondo) of 45 years; his two children, Cristina M. Weiner (Tyler Hotaling) and Kevin S. Weiner (Melina Uncapher); his two grandchildren (Ada J. and Silas M. Hotaling); his six siblings; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is predeceased by his son (Matthew R.) and his parents (Thomas J. and Mary B. (nee Walker) Weiner). Thomas was born on November 13, 1952 in Newark and was raised in Maplewood before spending a majority of his childhood in Cherry Hill. His appreciation and wonder of the natural world started at a young age, and continued in various forms throughout his life; he was a published scientist, and he valued the applied analysis of comparative medicine research. Thomas was a member of the first graduating class of Cherry Hill High School East in 1970 and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Animal Science program at Rutgers University, where he met Beverly. Thomas and Beverly were married his first year of veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). After graduating from veterinary school in 1978, Thomas and Beverly purchased a house in Tabernacle, NJ in 1980 and converted a three-car garage into the Animal Clinic of Tabernacle. Their home-based veterinary practice allowed him to put his family first, while also serving as a truly involved Medford/Tabernacle community veterinarian for 39 years. Anyone who interacted with Thomas will attest to the fact that he was not only a brilliant veterinarian, but also a brilliant storyteller. Thomas will forever be known as a caring, loving veterinarian who always had a vignette to share with his clients. He took pride in the fact that he was of a dying breed of veterinarians that actually made house calls – and you could find him holding court at any social gathering with entertaining stories from these experiences. He could make you laugh no matter how much you didn’t want to. He understood that pets are not just animals - they’re family members - and family was his most valued treasure. As a father, he taught his children kindness, acceptance, levity and humor, grit and hard work, gratitude and service, and the joy of being yourself. Always the teacher, he loved displaying his collection of anatomical anomalies that he collected over the years from his millions of surgeries, some of which he shared during career day with the students of Medford Memorial Middle School in order to get them excited about veterinary medicine. Because he appreciated his profession so much, he helped solicit his UPenn classmates to establish the Class of 1978 Endowed Scholarship Fund. In terms of dedication, scholarship, and service, Thomas was elected and served on UPenn’s Board of Overseers for several years, and Thomas and Beverly established the Matthew R. Weiner Cardiomyopathy Study Fund at UPenn, the Matthew R. Weiner ‘02 Scholarship at Princeton University, and the Matthew R. Weiner ’98 Scholar-Athlete Award at The Peddie School. Additionally, Thomas raised awareness about both organ donation and the importance of automated external defibrillators, both of which have since saved countless lives. Above all else, Thomas connected with people wherever he went, and he believed that the greatest gift we can give to one another is our time. Beverly was the love of his life, and he counted his children and grandchildren among his best friends. As a husband, a father, a grandfather, a father-in-law, a veterinarian, a teacher, a sibling, a brother-in-law, an uncle, a cousin, a friend, and a human, Tom was an N of 1. There will never be someone else like him. Given the global pandemic, services will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions made in his name to the Matthew R. Weiner ‘02 Scholarship (https://makeagift.princeton.edu/MainSite/MakeAGift) would be deeply appreciated.