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Erich Weiss

For this world traveler Bucks County and St. Mary are always home

In 1957 Erich Weiss left his home in Germany and moved to the United States.  Having worked from a very early age — starting at just thirteen and a half — with sheet metals that made up milk processing equipment in Germany, he settled easily into working with metals for HVAC use at his uncle’s company.  In his free time, Erich indulged his love of cooking through preparing meals for dinners and special events at his church.  In 1980, he turned this hobby into a full-time career by opening his own catering company.  You can still find him on occasion cooking for hundreds of guests at church functions, though he officially retired in 2000.

Erich and his wife, Joanne, settled in Holland, PA in 1969 and here they raised their son, Eric.  The family traveled often to see family in Germany as well as other countries and cities around the globe.  Though they enjoyed it immensely, they always returned home to Bucks County.  Joanne worked as a Licensed

Practical Nurse.  During the early nineties, she decided to pursue her RN degree through Bucks County Community College, a choice that ultimately led them to St. Mary Medical Center.  After a taking a position with a city hospital, Joanne wished to work closer to home.  In 2004 she accepted a nursing position with St. Mary’s fourth floor telemetry unit.  Throughout her years of employment, she and Erich happily supported the various fundraisers and campaigns.  St. Mary was their hospital.

Joanne was diagnosed with cancer in 2007.  Between chemotherapy appointments and traveling the world, Erich and Joanne did what they could to support St. Mary.  They enjoyed attending hospital tours and events with guest speakers.  During a luncheon one afternoon, Mark Erhard, Director of Planned Giving, spoke about the benefits of Charitable Gift Annuities.  This struck Erich as an opportunity to make an investment that would benefit his family as well as make a difference at St. Mary.  Afterward, he reached out to Mark to explore planned giving options and receive information customized to their situation.  Making any gift would depend largely on Joanne’s health.

Though it was expected she would live only six months beyond diagnosis, Joanne fought hard for three years thanks to her positive outlook, the love of her family and her St. Mary caregivers.  In early February 2011, Erich took Joanne on what would be their final cruise together.  She passed away, peacefully, at St. Mary shortly after their return home.  In honor of the exceptional care she received during this final stay, Erich made a donation in the name of Joanne’s ICU nurse through the Guardian Angel program.  In October that same year, Erich found himself on the receiving end of compassionate, skilled medical care at St. Mary when he required quadruple bypass surgery.

Erich made a full recovery from his surgery and remains involved with the Foundation, becoming a member of the 1973 Society and later, after the sale of their home in Germany, a member of the Legacy Society with a charitable gift annuity.  He is happy to be able to support the hospital where his wife had loved to work and where they had both received such great care when they were most in need.

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