Mickey F. Weiner ’53 died on August 21, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(The following was provided by Bibber Memorial Chapel in August 21, 2023:)
Mickey F. Weiner ’53
Mickey Frank Weiner died peacefully on Monday, August 21, 2023, after a period of declining health.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 10, 1931, the son of Benjamin and Beatrice Weiner and brother to Phillip Weiner. Mickey grew up in Lewiston, Maine, where he spent his days fishing and playing basketball. He and his brother, Phil, attended Lewiston High School, where Mickey excelled in school and was an excellent athlete. He played both basketball and tennis for Lewiston High School. He and his family spent summers at Tripp Lake, and he attended Camp Lown in Maine where he was a counselor and made many friends including Janet Whitman, his future sister-in-law. After graduating from high school, Mickey attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he studied economics and played forward on the college basketball team. After college, Mickey proudly served in the Army during the Korean War before moving to New York City, where he worked briefly in the textile industry. It was in New York City on 34th Street in front of Macy’s on a sunny November day that Mickey was introduced to his future wife, Sharon Portman.
Mickey and Sharon were married on June 22, 1958, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, surrounded by many friends and family members. Shortly after they were married, they moved to Whelan, Massachusetts, before settling in New Hampshire. Mickey was president and a member of Temple Israel in Dover, NH, for many years. He and his children often spent time with Rabbi Rothstein and his wife, Shirley, who became good family friends. Mickey worked in the shoe industry for his entire career, the majority of which was spent at Robert Shoe Company in Somersworth, NH, working with his with father, Benjamin, and at Benjamin Walk, working with his friend Ed René. He traveled worldwide during his career with many trips to China and Taiwan, always returning with gifts, sweets, and stories for his family.
Despite traveling for most of his career Mickey always preferred his life at home with his family, many friends, and numerous hobbies. On any given early morning before sunrise, you could find Mickey in his small rowboat on a local pond or reservoir fishing for bass, pickerel, and the occasional trout. His love of fishing was rivaled only by his love of basketball, which he continued to play with the Durham Men’s Basketball Organization (DUMBO) until he was almost 80 years old. There he not only played ball but made some of his closest friends for life. He also amassed an impressive collection of butterfly stamps and was known by friends and family as the group videographer for all social gatherings. Like his brother, he loved a good pun and seemed to have a story or joke at just the right moment in the conversation, keeping everyone amused and entertained. Mickey had an infectious smile and was known by all for his incredible kindness of heart and spirit. He was a true model for how to be a great friend, brother, uncle, cousin, husband, father, grandfather, and human being. Everyone who met Mickey couldn’t help but love him. He made friends everywhere he went and was admired by young and old alike. He will be dearly missed.
Mickey is predeceased by his loving wife, Sharon (2022) of sixty-four years. He is survived by his brother, Phillip Weiner, and sister-in law, Diana Weiner, of Silver Spring, MD; his son, William Lawrence Weiner of Somersworth, NH; his daughter, Suzanne Jill Jeschke, and his son-in-law Matthew Paul Jeschke of Salt Lake City, UT; and granddaughters Ruby Beatrice Jeschke and Sophia Anne Jeschke of Salt Lake City, UT.
Special thanks to the truly caring people at The Ridge Assisted Living, Salt Lake City, UT.