Richard Alan Werber

1950 - 2021

Rich Werber, age 70, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. He was an inspiring leader in his industry and community. He was president and owner of Great Atlantic Hot Tubs, Pools & Saunas. With wife Eileen, their business has served Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks for 43 years.

Richard Alan Werber was born on Dec 21, 1950, at West Point NY into an Air Force family and grew up in Japan, California, Hawaii, and Virginia. In 1969, he graduated from Hammond High School in Alexandria VA. Rich went on to earn a business degree from Old Dominion University in 1973 and an MBA in 1977. In Theta Chi fraternity, he served as chapter president and was active in the chapter's alumni association. He credited his fraternity and alma mater for shaping his approach to business and inspiring him to write a memoir.

After a stint in investment banking, Rich partnered with a fraternity brother in 1978 to open the first retail hot tub business on the east coast. As a regional distributor, he helped many small retailers enter the market. Under Rich's leadership, Great Atlantic received many manufacturer awards over the years and twice was named to the Inc 500 List of Fastest Growing Companies.

Rich was a pioneer in the hot water industry. He served as President of the National Pool and Spa Institute's Retailer Council and later as President of NSPI. He was a founding member of Pools.com and was instrumental in bringing The Gemini Effect, an analytics-based best practices group program, to the network of Hot Spring Spa dealers. Rich also created an extended warranty business for industry manufacturers. Across the industry, he was praised as an iconic innovator and mentor.

Rich was devoted to the well-being of his community. He was a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce's Lead Hampton Roads program and became the Chair of Lead and later Vice-Chair of Leadership Programs on the Chamber's Regional Council. In 2007 he received the Chamber Chairman's Award for Outstanding Service. For over a decade, Rich was also active in Susan G. Komen For the Cure, serving on the Board and as Treasurer of the Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure®.

Rich was especially devoted to his family. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Eileen; sister Anne (David) Riley of Baltimore MD; sister Diane (Patrick) Hoye of Thompson's Station TN; and sister-in-law Nancy (Bill) Werber of La Mesa CA. He was beloved by his nieces, nephews and goddaughter. He is remembered fondly for his joyous spirit, selflessness, and readiness to help others in ways both large and small. Rich embodied the poet William Wordsworth's observation that "The best portion of a good man's life is his little, unnamed, unremembered acts of kindness and of love"

A funeral mass will take place at Church of the Holy Family in Virginia Beach on Friday, April 23rd at 1:00 p.m. with Covid protocols and live streaming at holyfamilyvb.org/watch. A celebration of Rich's life will be scheduled at a later date. Condolences can be posted on caringbridge.com. Donations in Rich's name can be made to the Theta Chi Foundation (for ODU's Zeta Pi Chapter), the Southern Poverty Law Center (donate.splcenter.org), or the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia (foodbankonline.org).