Audra Weiss

1967 - 2024

Audra Weiss
09/28/1967 - 12/31/2024
Audra Weiss, 57, resident of Mill Valley, Calif., passed away on December 31, 2024, with her husband and children by her side. The wife of Jim Weiss, and mother of Ethan (23) and Emily (20), Audra was a quiet yet powerful force who walked through life exuding grace, strength and class.
The matriarch and CEO of the Weiss family, Audra will be sorely missed by family, friends, neighbors and her community at large. She loved fiercely as a devoted Mama Bear, loyal friend and passionate advocate for those who suffered, especially those living with cancer. Born and raised in Coram, NY, Audra graduated from the Whitman School at Syracuse University and forged a career in healthcare communications. She met her husband Jim through a mutual friend and found they had been living parallel lives. He also went to Syracuse, bled Orange and worked in the same field but they had never met. Like "When Harry Met Sally," they built a strong friendship that led to an unbreakably strong marriage of nearly 25 years.
She knew from the get-go that she'd happily trade in her stellar professional career for a lifelong role of motherhood. She welcomed Ethan and Emily into the world and devoted herself to her calling.
Audra's intellect and brilliance shined in the backdrop of Jim's entrepreneurial quest to build a leading global communications firm. As an advisor and confidante, Audra made her mark on the business that would become Real Chemistry. To her, success was a vehicle to do good -- giving back through the Weiss Family Office.
When she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she turned her journey into advocacy, crossing paths with The Dempsey Center and recently joining their board. She was a staunch ally who always demonstrated kindness, courage, integrity and care.
Even in the later stages of her disease she prioritized others. Especially those who recently received a cancer diagnosis because in her words -- "no one can do this alone". Selfless to the end, Audra was committed to sharing her wisdom about the cancer journey and her vision for giving free holistic medical care to patients in need.
Audra will be remembered by her family, friends, colleagues and her Syracuse Color War crew as a brave warrior who believed in her bones, she could defy the odds. For two years, she did just that -- kicking cancer's ass -- until her disease burden became too great.
She rests knowing her tribe won't let her death be in vain. We'll be vocal about the urgency of early cancer detection and diagnosis. We'll advocate for treating it holistically, not just with pharmaceuticals but with wrap-around care that makes the journey a much better experience for patients and their families. We'll be dedicated to gaining funding to support treatments at the intersection of Eastern and Western medicine. And above all, we'll care for her beloved Ethan and Emily with the radically practical heart and soul she'd bring to each challenge and life milestone.
In addition to her husband and children, Audra is survived by her parents Ronni and Mark Nass and brother Eric Nass and his wife Lisa, her uncle and aunt Steve and Honey Schwartz, her brother-in-law Harry Weiss and sisters-in-law Beth Weiss and Cindy Weiss. She also leaves her furry longtime companion, Kona.
Services will be held January 8th at 11am at Congregation Emanu-El (2 Lake Street, San Francisco) and virtually at https://emanuelsf.livecontrol.tv/5653b373. The family will be sitting shiva on January 8th, immediately following the service until 8 pm and January 9th, 4-7 pm. Donations in Audra's memory can be made to the Dempsey Center, Family Reach, Hope Lodge and Cancer Research Institute.