Gregg, Dawn and Leland Weingeroff

GREGG C. WEINGEROFF, 49, President and sole proprietor of Weingeroff Enterprises was killed in a small plane crash near State College, PA, on Saturday, March 26, 2005. Perishing in the accident with Mr. Weingeroff were his wife, Dawn, 42, and their ten-year old son, Leland. They were en route to Providence, RI, with friends when the plane went down two miles from the State College Airport. After working his way up through Weingeroff Enterprises, Mr. Weingeroff was named President and CEO in 1996. Prior to that, Mr. Weingeroff purchased Jay Strongwater, an exclusive line of high-end, elaborately-designed home decor pieces, including picture frames, jeweled boxes, and objects d'art which are found at top retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Sak's Fifth Avenue. Born in Providence, R.I., on September 3, 1955, to Frederick (Skippy) Weingeroff and Carol Freehof, Mr. Weingeroff was a devoted husband, father, son and brother. He is survived by his father and step-mother Lynne Suzanne, his mother, his daughter Jolie, and two sisters, Lisa Weingeroff and Jackie Gershwind. He is also survived by his step grandmother, Lillian Zarum. Mr. Weingeroff was an active member of the community. He served on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Providence Children's Museum, Temple Beth-El and the Wheeler School. His passion was golf and he was a longtime member of both the Ledgemont Country Club and Carnegie Abbey of Portsmouth, RI. DAWN ELIZABETH (POPPENBERG) WEINGEROFF, 42, was born in Manhasset, NY, on September 15, 1962, to Theresa (Misuraca) D'Jamoos. Mrs. Weingeroff was a devoted wife, mother, and daughter. Upon graduating from the Kimberly School in Montclair, NJ, and Bentley College, Dawn moved to New York City to work in finance. Two dear friends of Dawn's introduced her to Gregg and it became the beginning of a love affair that lasted over fifteen years, in which time they were inseparable having lived together, worked together, and tragically died together. Mrs. Weingeroff was a Vice-President of Marketing at Jay Strongwater. With impeccable grace and style, Dawn promoted the corporate line in such diverse settings as Dubai and Russia. Mrs. Weingeroff was an avid volunteer for the children's museum and was influential in raising money to help them move into their new building. Her other passion was volunteering her time with the Food Pantry affiliated with St. Ed's Church. She was a devoted animal lover, spending much time helping the Humane Society and rescuing animals, owning 7 rescued dogs and 2 cats herself. Mrs. Weingeroff was also an accomplished athlete and equestrienne. LELAND P. WEINGEROFF was born in Providence, RI, on September 22, 1994. He was a member of the Wheeler School community where he was enrolled since preschool. He was a beloved student both by his peers and teachers. An avid athlete, Leland loved all sports, especially basketball. His highlight of the fall was attending every Patriots game with his father right through the Super Bowl. He had hoped one day to become a professional sports announcer. He was nicknamed Sparky because everywhere he went he lit up the room. Leland was adored and respected by both family and friends even at such a young age. A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate the life of Dawn E. Weingeroff will be held at St. Sebastian's Church, 67 Cole Avenue, Providence, on Thursday, March 31, 2005, at 10:00am. Following the Mass, Mrs. Weingeroff will join her husband and son at Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence, at 1 p.m. for their funeral service prior to a private internment service. Memorial Observances will be held at the home of the Weingeroffs, 11 Loring Avenue, Providence on Thursday 7-9 p.m., Friday 2-4 p.m. and Saturday 7-9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Leland Weingeroff Achievement Fund c/o the Wheeler School, 216 Hope Street, Providence, RI, 02906, and The Dawn and Gregg Weingeroff Animal Fund c/o the Rhode Island Foundation, 1 Union Station, Providence, RI, 02903. For further information, contact Sugarman-Sinai Memorial Chapel or the Monahan, Drabble & Sherman Funeral Home.