Albert Joseph Wiener

Albert Joseph Wiener was born on September 13, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. The middle child of Austrian immigrants David and Clara, Albert grew up with older brother Richard and younger sister Betty and enjoyed childhood summers at Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay. Drafted into the United States Army at age 19, Albert served in the Artillery Division, 1943-1945, in Europe, and was honorably discharged as a Field Technician 4th Grade. After returning to civilian life, Albert took some business courses at CUNY (“Night School,” as he called it) but quickly embarked on a career as a traveling salesman, specializing in leather goods. It was a way to “see the USA,” and his journey brought him to Chicago in the late 1950s, where he met his soon-to-be-wife, Benita. Albert settled into the insurance field and opened his own brokerage firm, the Aspen Agency.

No matter where Albert went, athleticism was his companion. In New York, he was playing handball in the ‘hood, as well as horseback riding and skiing in the Catskills. Once in Chicago, tennis replaced handball, and he always found a court on which to play year around. In the 1970s, Al developed a passion for running and was a charter member of CARA (The Chicago Area Runners’ Association). He participated in the first Chicago Marathon, in 1977, and continued well into his 70s. Swimming was another favorite sport, and every Tuesday night and Sunday afternoon, he would spend hours in the lap lanes at the Mayer Kaplan JCC, in Skokie. He shared his love of sports with his children, Ana and Dave, -- cheering Dave on at his swim meets and baseball games, as well as convincing Ana to enter those Marathons with him. Well into his 90’s, Al was out there jogging on the nearest lakefront running path!

Humor was Al’s calling card in business and in social life. Always the joke teller, Al’s sense of timing and delivery delighted clients, family, friends, and even total strangers. Although he missed his calling as a stand-up comedian, he never missed supplying “Al’s Joke of the Week” at his last place of residence, The Pearl of Evanston. Even as his son-in-law marveled at his vitality nearing the completion of a century, Al replied, “BFD, Wesley, BFD.”

“Papa Alberto” to his daughter, Ana, “Daddy” to his son, Dave, “Uncle Al” and “Uncle Albie" to his nieces Diane, Rose, Carla, and Sara, “Dad” to his son-in-law, Silas Wesley and his honorary son, Kameron, and “Grandpa” to his honorary grandson, Kaminari, Albert will remain in everyone’s heart as one of the nicest guys to grace this planet for over ninety-nine years.

In the words of playwright Israel Horovitz [when eulogizing the late actor John Cazale], “He will make fast friends in his new place. He is easy to love.”

Donations, in Albert J. Wiener’s memory, can be made to support scholarships for the students of his daughter, Ana: The Elena Mulcahy and Helen Valdez Scholarship Fund, https://givebutter.com/TrumanTBLC