Timothy Vanderweert

Tim was breathtaking: a wondrous mix of humor, intellect, passion, talent, and charisma paired with inner demons that fueled how all these things unfolded in his living. He was a ferocious protector of those who were vulnerable and their untiring advocate. His art reflected the contradictions in our living, the absurd, the juxtaposition of contrasts. He was both deeply sensitive and intellectual, and in the moments these two things came together, he was magical. Tim made people believe that they were not ordinary, and their life did not need to be predictable or ordinary - not because this was true of him (although it was), but because he believed this was true for them – if they would choose it. He was a risk-taker. If he believed an experience would enrich his life, he was willing to risk things that others might not. This often made it easier for those around him to hesitate less and try more. He made us believe we could be like that too. In a world that can be so bound by expectations and proscribed ideas of success and what successful means, Tim embodied the simple truth that you don’t have to be what is expected. You can make your own path. Be your own version of you.

Tim graduated with a Bachelors in Philosophy from Montclair State University, a Masters of Religion from UNC, a Juris Doctorate from UNC, and a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies from Duke and was published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. He attended school at Oxford in England and studied international law in Amsterdam. He earned a degree in photography from SPEOS in Paris. He was a talented and recognized fine arts photographer who exhibited in galleries here and in Paris, and this was his true life’s passion. He also annoyed his family and friends, documenting our lives in pictures we might only see years later, if at all. His blog, Leicaphilia, gained followers and attention worldwide and was quoted by numerous photography publications and online sites. He was a gallery-represented painter, whose style has been compared to Pollock. At the time of his death, he was attending Harvard working towards a Masters in History. He never stopped learning and growing, amassing a collection of well over 2000 books which he read over and again. Tim was a marathon runner for many years. He had ridden motorcycles since he was a teen and raced semi-professionally for several years. He was an avid bicyclist and was known to go on 100 mile rides several days a week. He practiced law as a defense attorney here in NC for more than 30 years, often taking pro bono cases because he believed in the cause, took issue with the legal points at hand, or because of his client’s financial need. He was generous to a fault, always opening his home and his hand when he saw a need. Tim loved to experience different landscapes and cultures. He traveled many, many places across the globe taking pictures and immersing himself in the places tourists usually never see. He and his wife, Donna Kay, were parents to 4 exchange student daughters, who remain an important part of their family. He loved them and encouraged their desire to experience life, other countries, and other ways of living and being. An introvert by nature, he took the time to stop and talk to every neighbor, learning the name of every adult, child, and dog. As he declined, these neighbors circled he and his wife and enabled him to die surrounded by all that had become his home here.

Off all things, Tim was known for his love of all animals, but especially for dogs. And dogs loved Tim. Throughout his adult life he made a home for many, many, many animals – always rescues – and he loved them well – so very well.

Tim is held in the hearts of his wife, Donna Kay Smith, his mother, Joan, brother Mark (Mary Ann), sister Susan (Kit), nephews Jesse (Anna), Alex (Breanna), Christopher (Breanna), Aaron (Beth), Gavin, nieces Melissa (Manasseh), Christina (Quentin), Emily, Kara (Jared), his step-son, Donald Berrigan, his four daughters of the heart: Valentina, Heloise, Nikola, and Giulia, and innumerable friends and others whose lives he has touched. You know who someone is most of all by who it is that loves them. In the days of his illness the most amazing people have held all of us who were holding Tim because of who he had been to them.

A funeral for family was held on January 22nd in NJ.

In lieu of a memorial, Tim will be honored in Raleigh with an exhibit of his photography and paintings which he curated before his death. Leicaphilia: A Life in Photography will be held March 5, 2023 at Whitaker and Atlantic, 1053 E Whitaker Mill Rd, Raleigh, STE 111, from 2:30-6:30 pm. Drinks and hor’dourves will be served.

We ask nothing, but if you feel compelled to remember or honor Tim, give to an agency that protects and supports animals. This would make him most happy.

We would like to especially thank Transitions LifeCare for assisting Tim and Donna in giving him the end-of-life journey and death that he wanted. Our special gratitude to his nurse and NP, Greyson and Becky: You enabled Tim to feel good for every single day possible and this gave him the opportunity to do what was most important to him and to find meaning, value, and joy while on such a difficult path. Thank you is not enough.