Lewis E. Weingard

   Lewis Edward Weingard, age 87, of Tionesta, PA, died on Monday, July 04, 2016 at his home in Tionesta.  He was born April 16, 1929 in Erie, PA, son of the late Archie E. and Thelma (Chase) Weingard. 

   He graduated from Academy High School of Erie in 1947, then from Kenyon College of Gambier College in 1951.  He served in the US Air Force for five years during the Korean War.  In 1956 Lew joined IBM and held various sales, international accounts and managerial positions in New York, Holland, England, Indonesia and Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, until his retirement to Tionesta in 1987.

   On December 22, 1951 in Wellington Kansas he married the love of his life, Paula (Houser) Weingard, who survives.    

   Lew was considered civic minded, an entrepreneur and an adventurer.  He was a board member of the Titusville Area Hospital for 14 years, two of which he was the Chairman.  He was a member and past president of the Tionesta Lions Club, served on the Boards of the Agriculture Cooperative Extension and both the Forest County Industrial Development Authority and Corporation.  Lew also held leadership roles in the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Council, the Camp Ground Ministry and the Forest County Historical Society. 

   Though he claimed to have been in almost every country in the world on his many business and holiday trips, one of his greatest adventures included his family in 1969.  With his wife and three teenage children they left their home Philadelphia and took nearly two years to drive pulling an Airstream trailer to the tip of South America and back. 

   A much later adventure in 1992, Lew replicated the history of his ancestors in building a 36x12 foot river barge, the “Pine Knot”, sailing down the Allegheny to board a seven passenger house boat, The Quest.  He and six others sailed the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans stopping frequently at historical sites, small villages and historical societies distributing small souvenir bottles of Pennsylvania oil and exchanging stories of their histories and ours.   With his wife he returned to Pennsylvania as his ancestors did, by train, and walked from Pittsburgh to Tionesta on old Indian trails.

   In addition to his wife Paula, surviving are a son, Brent E. Weingard and Debra Roberts of New York City, NY; Two daughters, Deborah L.  Lee and her husband Chung of Honolulu, Hawaii; Joni  W. Rose and her husband, Roger  of Ashburn, Virginia.

   Five grandchildren,  May Lee and her husband Duane Henry of Seattle, Washington;  Anna Lee and her husband Amir Rao of San Francisco, California;  Suky Lee and her husband  Jie Young of Seoul, Korea; Ashleigh Rose of Washington DC; Michael Rose, also of DC. 

   A great-granddaughter,  Seo Yeon of Korea;   A sister, Nola Lyons and her husband Pat of Erie, PA.  Many nieces and nephews.   He will be missed by many friends.

  Lew loved his pets over a lifetime of succession:  Pepper(1), Pepper (2), Deputy and Dutch which seldom left his side during his illness with Parkinson’s.    

   Friends will be received at the Norman J. Wimer Funeral Home of Tionesta on Thursday from 2-4 and 6-8.   Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 8, 2016 at 11 am at the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church with Pastor Samuel Mabugu officiating.  Burial at Mt. Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Tionesta.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Memorial Fund 2034 German Hill RD Tionesta, PA  16353 or to the Clarion/Forest VNA Hospice 271 Perkins RD Clarion, PA 16214. 

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