Obituary of Sally Shair Weiss

Sally Shair Weiss, 83, of Honesdale died December 24, 2014 at Visiting Nurse Association Hospice in Scranton. Born July 10, 1931 in Scranton, Penn., she was the only daughter of the late Jean and Sam Shair, formerly of Scranton, Jersey City, NJ and Honesdale. Sally served as President of Lakewood Oil Co. in Honesdale for more than 20 years. Until the company's 2007 sale to Firmstone Oil Co., Lakewood Oil had been run by her family for more than 80 years, first by her Uncle Harry R. Baldinger and then by her father Sam Shair. After graduating from Barnard College in New York City in 1953, Sally worked as buyer at Orbach's department store in New York City and then as a public relations associate at Barnard. In 1958, Sally married Dr. Leonard Weiss, who was also born and raised in Scranton, and they settled in Honesdale. In Honesdale, Sally was a member of Beth Israel Synagogue and active in The Beth Israel Sisterhood and the Pennsylvania and national Hadassah, the international Jewish woman's organization. She also served as a substitute teacher in the Wayne Highlands School System, and for several years participated as an Honors Program teacher at Honesdale High School. As President of Lakewood Oil, and personally, Sally generously supported numerous national, regional and local charitable organizations. Sally was an avid golfer and became an honorary member of the Honesdale Golf Club after forty years. She was a lover of opera and for many years a subscriber to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and travelled throughout the United States following various productions of Wagner's Ring Cycle. In addition to the opera, Sally was an active supporter of arts and culture locally, notably the 52nd Street Project, which links underprivileged inner city children with theater professionals to produce free theater. For years that organization ran a summer program in Wayne County. She enjoyed Sunday mornings and the New York Times Magazine's crossword puzzle, strong black coffee and making her spaghetti sauce, fried matzo and half cookies for family and friends. Sally is survived by her husband Dr. Leonard Weiss, her children Beth of New York City, Jim of Mill Valley, California and Harry of Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania, her daughters in law Cindy of Bryn Mawr and Audra of Mill Valley, her grandchildren Ethan, Sam, Julia and Emily, and her grand-pets Kona, Lucy and Little Kitty. A public service of remembrance will be observed at Temple Beth Israel, Court Street and 7th Street, Honesdale at 2:00 PM., on Friday, December 26, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations in Sally's memory should be directed to the Jean Shair fund at Temple Beth Israel in Honesdale, or the Wayne Memorial Hospital Home Health Services and Hospice.