Obituary of Charles W. Weiss

Charles W. Weiss Sr. passed peacefully in his sleep early Sunday afternoon, May 6, 2018 at the age of 89. Born in Clifton and raised in the house his grandfather built, Charles lost his father at the young age of seven. He and his mother Anna Carey then moved to Paterson, where she met and married Peter Hutting. His half-sister Carol was born thirteen years later. In December 1948, Charles married the lovely Jean Hemmer, his wife of 69 years. After his daughter Pamela was born a year later, he bought a home in Elmwood Park, NJ where he and Jean spent the next seven decades. Here, they shared years of incomparable joy, raising Pamela and son Charles Jr. and later welcoming three grandsons and eventually two great grandchildren. The years also saw their share of tragedy, as Charles and Jean lost both their children, Pamela Weiss Albano in 1982, age 33, and Charles Weiss Jr. in 2011, age 56. Professionally, Charles was a trained welder, working tirelessly to support his family until retiring in 1983 at age 55 from Cook Machinery in Hackensack, when the company closed. In retirement, Charles and Jean enjoyed travel (including a clandestine unscheduled trip for just the two of them and tour guide to France's Moulin Rouge at midnight !) and became contributing members of the Elmwood Park Senior Activity Center, organizing the center's regular Atlantic City bus trips, on which Charles often showed the proverbial "luck of the Irish." Charles also enjoyed hunting down, restoring and reselling antiques. His consuming passion was old clocks, a passion that would drive every visitor mad as the clocks loudly ticked and bonged and chimed away the hours from every wall and table at varying intervals throughout the house. Charles' hard early years forged a character of steel and a heart of gold, setting up a long, happy life in spite of trials and tribulations that included being struck by lightning – twice. His family was his world. He enjoyed his grandsons and delighted in his entrepreneurial son, helping him dismantle his pizzeria Mr. Pizza and ready another, Generoso's. Charles is survived by his wife Virginia Hemmer Weiss; his daughter-in-law Kathleen Matthews Weiss; his grandsons Christopher Weiss and wife Jill, Gregory Weiss, and Timothy Weiss and fiancée Luci Cruz; his great grandchildren Beyrn and Vienna Weiss; his half-sister Carol Clewes; his sister-in-law Caroline Hemmer; and two nieces Susan Hemmer and Denise Schick. He is predeceased by both parents, stepfather, daughter Pamela, son Charles and brother-in-law Robert Hemmer. With the love of his life by his side, his quiet warmth and caring heart has left a lasting mark and touched the hearts of all who knew him. A true Gentleman... Funeral Services will begin on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 9:30 at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung 07069, followed by a 10:30 Mass Blessed Sacrament Church, 1890 Washington Valley Road, Martinsville 08836. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, 50 McLean Blvd, Paterson, NJ 07513. Visitation will be on Monday, May 14th from 2-4 & 7-9pm.