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This site was created by Eric and Miles Weiss in memory of our father, Bob.
Bob was born in Missouri on March 23, 1936 to Ned Weiss and Rose (Bernstein) Weiss. Bob's brother David was a couple of years younger. Ned was in the clothing business and it was clear from the old photos we've seen that the family had a great life together. Sadly, Rose passed away in 1954, when "Bobby" was only 18 years old. The loss of his mother at a young age had a lasting impact on Bob.
Bob married Suzanne Steinberg in 1962. The couple met in Kansas City, Missouri and soon made their home in Denver, Colorado where they lived together for eight years. Not long after the birth of Eric, their second child in 1968, the couple divorced. We stayed with our mother in our house on South Magnolia while Dad moved to the Crestmoor Downs Apartments where he would live happily for many years. Our guess is the prospect of no yard work made him happy in the hi-rise lifestyle.
The 70's were a lot of fun for a lot of people, and we know our Dad had a great time. We remember many times when he would take us out for meals with his then-girlfriends. His friends would relate that he was definitely a ladies man. I'm sure his love of Porsches and hard earned sales skills helped a lot in that department. Also, his wry sense of humor, or maybe corny is the right word, was something that we remember with a great deal of fondness. His corny jokes, corny birthday cards, and general corniness are something that may be genetic as we both share similar traits.
Bob was passionate about many things in life. He loved the outdoors. Camping, fishing, hiking, motorcycle trail riding and skiing were activities he loved. Some of our fondest memories are from amazing family trips into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Whether it was multi-day horseback riding and camping trips near Aspen, hiking up into Montezuma, or skiing Copper Mountain, we really had a great time. He taught us how to fly-fish and we happily caught our share of Brook, Rainbow and Brown trout on our many trips into the mountains.
Motoring was another area that Dad was passionate about his entire life. Early on, he was into both European sports cars and motorcycles until a serious trail riding accident in the early 70's left him in a cast for over a year. We remember the big black American car with the hand-drive controls he was forced to drive with some humor as he was always a sports-car fanatic.
No biography about Bob would be complete without mention of his love of sports cars, especially Porsches. He owned a total of 44 over the years, interspersed with other makes and models that he would sample, yet he always returned to the German engineered machines he loved. My (Eric’s) memories of time spent during childhood and youth with Dad are tightly interwoven with memories of his cars. I remember a bright red 6.9 liter Pontiac Trans-Am with the Firebird on the hood. He used to call it a "big chicken." That one did not last long. There was a yellow or orange MG in which we got caught in the rain in as he couldn’t get the damn convertible roof up. That one was soon gone too. There was a brown 911 that suffered a cracked engine block, yet he was able to sell to someone in California. My personal favorite was a brown 930 Turbo Carrera he had when I was about 17. He let me drive it coming back from a trip to the Mountains and urged me to open it up on the last steep hill coming on I-70 near Buffalo Bills' Grave. I think I got it up to 120 or 130 before he got too nervous and asked me to throttle back a bit. For awhile he was driving an Audi Quattro Turbo that he used to say "ran on rails!" That one was a blast in the snow. His personal favorite was a "gunmetal gray" Porsche 944 Turbo . . . he always said that was the most fun to drive as it was perfectly balanced and had more than enough power – he couldn’t drive it as fast as it could go.
Another great love of his was bicycling. He was an avid road-biker who toured many routes in Colorado and California. He tried to get us as enthused, but our passion never quite matched his. Still, we had some great times riding together in Colorado. Riding Vail Pass, or up damn steep seemingly endless mountain rides when we were teens. Bob rode on into his late 60s, still with great stamina. While he wasn't doing century rides (100 miles) any longer, he was still able to outlast us on the bike. His riding exploits where curtailed when he was 67 by an accident in which he broke his hip, shortly after moving to California in 2001. After his recovery, he continued to take short rides but it was never the same for him.
Like all of us, Bob had challenges in life. The early death of his mother affected him his entire life. His divorce and time spent apart from his kids weighed heavily on him. Business setbacks were sadly severe, removing the financial security he had worked for and making his later years sometimes very challenging. It was great that he was able to move out to Southern California to spend the last years of his life near his sons, but it was sometimes very difficult to watch and participate in his medical and financial woes. He struggled with depression, made worse by the untimely death of his younger brother David in 2004. Through it all, Bob remained steadfast and a fighter. He never quit striving for the financial security he had achieved and lost. While we counseled him to re-set his expectations so as to set himself up for happiness in his later years, he just kept fighting for the business success he had once enjoyed. As his physical health became more problematic, that same spirit helped him to keep fighting until the end.
In early January 2007 at the age of 70, Bob's doctor informed him that he would need a triple-bypass. Both his spirits and and our expectations were high for his recovery. During a light moment, he told us, "I'm not quite ready to crawl into a casket yet . . ." and we all simply chuckled. While we all knew there were risks, we also knew that a successful operation would give him years to spend with his family and grandchildren. Initially, the surgery appeared successful, yet there were serious complications that developed. A week after the surgery, Bob passed away due to a delayed reaction to a blood transfusion he received. The end came quickly on January 18th and he did not suffer, but the suddenness and shock were something that will affect us forever.
Bob will be greatly missed by family and friends.
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Click here to see Bob Weiss's Family Tree |
 Tributes and Condolences |
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may he be at peace / Suzanne Goldman (former wife )
I just noticed tomorrow, March 23, is Bob's chronological
birthday.....I know he is now at peace and that he knows
he was and is, loved.
Aunt Mildred sounded so well yesterday, all settled in a gorgeous
condominium home in E...
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Remembering Bob / Richard Atlas (High School Friend )
I saw the notice of Bob's death in the KC Paper a few days ago and
wanted to share a some comments. We went to Southwest High School and I remember him very fondly from those days even now over 50 years ago.
We were friends...
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Bob was one of my 3 room mates in the Phi Sig house in Columbia. We had a great time together as friends. / Art Katz (Friend)
We got together again, for one of the last times, 6 or 7 years ago, before he moved to the west coast. We met with a few fraternity brothers in Las Vegas for an informal get-together, over a long weekend. I believe I spoke with him by tel...
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Memorial Service for Bob, Sycamore Cove, Ventura Cty, CA----February 11, 2007 / Suzanne Goldman (former wife )
I have just returned from the touching, intimate memorial service
we just had for Bob in California.
It turned out that after all kinds of warnings of rain, it was a
sunny, mildly windy morning in Ventura.
We ga...
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remembering my cousin Bobby / Nancy Gallas (1st cousin )
Bob was the first grandchild and the oldest cousin on my father's (Leon Bernstein's) side of the family. As a child I can remember my father taking me to the Weiss's house almost every sunday where I would hang out with my cousins Bob and...
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Just so you know... / Leslie Schuenemeyer (Niece (Howard's sister) ) Read >> |
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my cousin Bobby / Eileen Cohen (First Cousin ) Read >> |
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Bob - my oldest cousin / William Eaglstein (cousin) Read >> |
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Impressive guy / Mike McKendry (Friend to son Miles ) Read >> |
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/ Howard Barewin (Nephew) Read >> |
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Awesome friend/neighbor / Ron Weiss (Neighbor) Read >> |
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| His legacy |
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Full Text of Bob's Obituary
Edmund Robert “Bob” Weiss, 70, passed away on January 18, 2007, in Thousand Oaks, California, due to complications following heart bypass surgery.
Bob was born on March 23, 1936, in Kansas City, MO to Ned and Rose (Bernstein) Weiss. Bob was the eldest of two sons. He was preceded in death by his mother in 1954, his father in 1987 and his brother David in 2004. Bob married in 1962 and is survived by his sons, Rodger Miles (wife Dorothea) of Ojai, CA and Eric Anthony (wife Patricia) of Venice, CA, his granddaughters Amanda, Catherine and Gabrielle Bradley, and his grandson, Wyatt Gibson Weiss.
Bob graduated from University of Missouri and made his career in sales. He lived in Denver, CO for much of his adult life where he settled with his wife Suzanne after their marriage in 1962. Some of his greatest joys were spent in the Rocky Mountains with family and friends bicycling, hiking, fishing, horseback riding and skiing. Bob’s enthusiasm for cars, especially Porsches, and football, especially the Denver Broncos, was known by those close to him. He also enjoyed classical jazz and dogs of all kinds. He moved to California in 2001 to be close to his adult sons and their families.
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made in Bob’s memory to the American Heart Association or to a favorite charity.
As there are loving family and friends all across the country, his sons have created a website at http://bobweiss.memory-of.com to share photographs and memories in celebration of Bob’s life.
To honor his wishes, a small service with family is planned and his ashes will be scattered at sea off the California coast.
[This obituary ran in the Ventura County Star on January 24, 2007.]
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Bob's Family - Eric and Patrica Weiss
Eric and Patrica were married on August 11, 2001. They have a son (Wyatt) who was born in 2004 with another child on the way, currently code-named Duke. |
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Miles and Dorothea (Dodie) Weiss
Miles and Dodie were married in June of 2000 on Maui, Hawaii. Bob joined several other family members there with us for a week of festivities and the wedding.
Bob was a beloved (step)grandpa to Amanda, Cate and Libby, who affectionately dubbed him 'Papa Bob.'
He was a welcome guest at holiday events and times of celebration at our home in Ojai, California. Whenever Bob was noticed to be missing from the party, he could undoubtedly be found in the backyard, playing with the dogs . . .
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| Bob's Photo Album |
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| Bob hiking with Eric (taking picture) in Aspen, circa 1996. |
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