Barbara (Greher) Weiss, 94, of Valhalla, NY, died peacefully in her sleep on March 23, 2023, after a year-long struggle with congestive heart failure. She was the beloved wife of the late Jack Weiss for 69 and a half years. A life-long resident of New York City and Westchester County, Barbara was the daughter (and ninth and youngest child) of the late David and Pauline (Zisser) Greher, who both immigrated to the United States from what was then Poland in the early 1900s. Barbara was also the proud mother of Michael (Heidi) Weiss of Greenwich, CT and Amy Weiss of Asheville, NC; grandmother to Melanie (Rachel Isaacs) Weiss of Waterville, ME and Jaffa Batya (Molly Conner) Weiss of Baltimore, MD and three irrepressible great-grandchildren, Nitzan and Hadas Isaacs-Weiss and Solomon Conner-Weiss who provided endless delight. Barbara‘s five sisters, three brothers and their respective spouses all pre-deceased her. Maintaining contact with her nieces and nephews as well as a growing brood of grandnephews and nieces who live on both coasts, in Israel and in Germany was very important to her and they remember “Aunt Bobbi” with great affection.
Barbara earned her bachelor’s degree in business at CCNY in 1951 then worked intermittently in secretarial positions when her children were young. Teaching high school business classes, briefly at Roosevelt High School in the Bronx and Lincoln High School in Yonkers for many years, represented a second career for her. Both she and Jack had returned to night school in their 40s to earn graduate teaching degrees creating for Amy and Michael early experiences as “latchkey kids”.
Barbara was very proud of her children’s and grandchildren’s achievements. She often shared that she did not know where their ambition came from, but we believe that in a different generation Barbara would have likely been a successful businesswoman. Because of this and beyond the pride any parent would feel, she particularly kvelled over her son’s many achievements in the financial world. A member of the greatest generation, she viewed the teaching profession as a high calling and for this reason, too, she appreciated her daughter’s extensive academic career.
Following their retirements, Barbara and Jack traveled extensively. Israel was a favorite destination as were Mexico, Canada, and Europe. When not traveling, they volunteered for several Westchester organizations including the SMART program where they provided literacy enhancements to Yonkers school children at risk for literacy failure, food banks, and local Jewish organizations including the Yonkers JCC. Barbara was a reliable volunteer for her synagogue, Shaarei Tikvah in Scarsdale, serving as a representative to the Interfaith Council and on the membership committee, among others. One of her proudest moments was when she became a Bat Mitzvah at age 82. A feminist and a social justice activist, Barbara was a steadfast believer that government should be an agent for positive change. She took great pride in having been an early supporter of State Senator and now New York Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Barbara was a community builder in the Westchester Jewish community as well as at The Knolls, where she lived happily for the last 10 years of her life, formed many meaningful friendships, edited the newspaper for a time, interviewed new residents, and learned several new board games. She leaves a legacy of kindness and generosity of spirit.
The family wishes to thank the people who were so helpful in allowing Barbara to live as independently as possible at the Knolls and in Fieldstone. Special mention is reserved for Mayra Gomes, who as she had done with Jack, cared for Barbara until 24/7 care was put in place. Shirley and Martha from Compass Care were integral parts of the superb care team that allowed Barbara to return to her apartment and spend the last three months of her life safely and comfortably.
Donations in Barbara’s memory can be sent to Shaarei Tikvah 46 Fox Meadow Lane, Scarsdale, NY 10583, or a charity of your choice.
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