Morris Weiss

1924 - 2015

Morris S. Weiss

August 31, 1924 - June 7, 2015

In memory of Morris S. Weiss, 90, loving husband, father, and grandfather, who passed away quietly at home on June 7, 2015, his family wishes a sad farewell. His high moral standards, his sense of duty and devotion, served as model and measure to all who knew him. Born in Jersey City, NJ, on August 31, 1924, to parents who had immigrated from the former Austro-Hungarian empire, he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household. Determined to succeed in the world, he made his way out to Berkeley, where he began his studies at the University of California when he was barely 16. At 19, he was accepted into UCSF medical school, graduating in 1946; while there he met his future wife, Audree Shatkin, to whom he was married for almost 68 years. After he pursued advanced training in Santa Cruz, Brooklyn, Chicago, and New Orleans, they settled in Deal, NJ, raising three children while he practiced as a widely respected obstetrician-gynecologist in Asbury Park and Freehold. By 1970, seeking a change from both the demands of his private practice and the social rounds of suburban life, he engineered their move back to Berkeley where he earned a Masters degree in Public Health and worked as the head of preventive care for Alameda County throughout the 1970s. By 1979, again seeking new horizons, he signed on with the U.S. Agency for International Development for a 2-year engagement as a public health advisor to the government of Ghana, where he and Audree lived in Accra with great enthusiasm and interest. After their return to Berkeley, he eventually left medicine behind as he further developed his self-taught talents as a real-estate investor. Together, they also continued to travel well into a ripe old age.
Morris, Dad, Poppy, Pata, Grandpa, who went before us all, we love you very much. With deep gratitude, we will miss you and remember you and honor you.
Audree, Jeffrey, Risa, Jason, Alexis, Arielle, Samantha, Dorian, Noah, Keely, and Bartow.