Henry Weil

1921 - 2015

Henry Bernard Weil

May 22, 1921 - September 1, 2015

Henry Bernard Weil was born in Landau, Germany, on May 22, 1921, to Isidor and Auguste Weil, and passed away peacefully at home in San Francisco on September 1, 2015. Henry was raised in Landau with his younger brothers, Ernest and Lewis, and remained there until shortly after Kristallnacht in 1938. With his cousin, Harry, he sailed for Cuba on a freighter on May 1, 1939. He spent 6 months in Havana awaiting a visa to enter the United States. In December 1939 he was able to travel to San Francisco to join his brother, Lewis, who had been residing there for the previous year. In 1941 Lewis and Henry were joined by their mother and brother, Ernest, in San Francisco. His father, Isidor, did not survive the Holocaust.
For the next 25 years (interrupted by Army duty in New Guinea during WW2) Henry was an executive at Koret of California, a ladies sportswear manufacturer. While at Koret he worked on the development of the permanent press process for clothing and created a subsidiary named Koratron. As President of Koratron he spent several years traveling to license the patented permanent press process to major clothing manufacturers around the world. In 1965 he retired from the clothing industry.
Above all, Henry's life was devoted to his family. In 1950 he married Helen Wolff, also a Holocaust survivor from Germany. They quickly started a family with son, Norm, and twin daughters Nina and Nancy. The Weil family home was the scene of frequent family celebrations. Henry and Helen began to spend time in Maui in 1967 and eventually established a second home there where they would spend the majority of the year. In addition to their time in Maui, Helen and Henry, regularly traveled abroad and visited every continent in the world until her death in 2001. Following the passing of his beloved Helen, Henry's life was enriched by his life partner, Alina Kerson. Together they shared his continued passion for travel and life in Maui, as well as sharing in each other's family celebrations.
Henry was predeceased by his wife, Helen, and his brothers. He is survived by his son, Norm (Joyce) and their children, Alison and Benjamin; by his daughter, Nina and her children Shana (Mats) and Sarah (Mark); and daughter, Nancy (Norman), and their children Jordana and Jacob. He is also survived by his great grandchildren, Issac, Asher, and Maya, numerous nieces and nephews, and by his very special life partner, Alina Kerson. The family also wishes to acknowledge those who provided dedicated care and assistance to him, Aida Benitez , Adelaida Lomboy, Henry Raymundo and Yvonne Kwan.
A memorial service will be held at the home of Norm Weil at 11:00 AM on Thursday, September 3, 2015. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation in his memory be made to Jewish Home of San Francisco, 302 Silver Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112.