Maurice "Bud" Weidenthal

Cherished father, grandfather, uncle and friend, Maurice “Bud” Weidenthal passed away May 1st in Beachwood, Ohio at the age of 96. A proud lifelong Clevelander, Bud was a “newspaper man” who carried on the legacy of his journalist grandfather and great uncles. The distinguished Weidenthal family was among the first Jewish settlers in Cleveland.

In a 1991 article for The Sun Press, Richard Murway wrote of Bud: “He enjoys a distinguished lineage in Cleveland newspaper and cultural history. His grandfather Maurice, a Plain Dealer reporter, founded the weekly Jewish Independent here in 1906. A great-uncle, Leo Weidenthal, was editor of the Independent for many years after being on the staffs of the Cleveland World, Cleveland Leader and Plain Dealer. Leo Weidenthal was also the founder of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park.”

Bud enlisted in the army the day after he graduated from Heights High School, becoming a decorated combat infantry veteran of World War II. He served with the 95th Infantry of the Third Army in France and Germany under General George Patton, fighting in the Battle for Metz and the Battle of the Bulge. His bravery earned him several honors, including an Air Medal.

On the GI Bill, Bud then attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a degree in Political Science and Economics. A die-hard Wolverine, he wrote in a 2011 blog post: “There’s something about Ann Arbor that seeps into the soul, almost unnoticed, shortly after one arrives on campus…for me it was football and getting my act together after two years of combat in WWII.”

Bud’s journalism career, which began in high school at the Black & Gold, spanned more than 50 years. He became Assistant Sports Editor of The Michigan Daily in Ann Arbor, and went on to join The Cleveland Press one week after his college graduation. In his 30 years with The Press, he moved through the ranks as the youngest-ever Editorial Writer, a Police Reporter, an Assistant City Editor, a Health & Welfare Writer and Education Editor.

His prizewinning education reporting included a series of articles he co-wrote with Dick Feagler about the 1970 Kent State shootings. Bud is credited with a successful newspaper campaign to bring a community college system to Ohio. He crusaded for the expansion of University Circle and wrote articles that influenced the creation of Cleveland State University. He also spent three years covering the desegregation trial of the Cleveland Public Schools in the Federal courtroom of Judge Frank Battisti.

After leaving The Press, Bud went on to serve eight years as Vice President for Public Affairs at Cuyahoga Community College, heading a department that won 40 national awards for marketing, public relations and publications. In 1990, he became editor of the RC 2000 Urban Report, an international publication about urban higher education.

Bud and Grace, his wife of 49 years, raised their daughter Susan in Cleveland Heights. Together, they traveled extensively, collected art and supported their favorite local institutions: The Cleveland Orchestra, The City Club, Hebrew Free Loan, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Playhouse, Dobama, Karamu, The Temple Tifereth Israel and Jewish Federation, among others.

In retirement, Bud continued to write and learn, enrolling in classes and mentoring younger writers. He frequently read his essays aloud at family dinners and wrote in great detail about his life on his blog, https://budwords.blogspot.com. (He’d want you to go read it.)

Well into his 90s, Bud enjoyed keeping in touch with friends and sharing his views on Facebook. He always enjoyed lively discussion, often challenging people to debate political, ethical, philosophical and controversial topics.

He was passionate about swimming, beaches, travel and all things chocolate. He read several newspapers daily; enjoyed biographies and non-fiction; loved attending concerts, theater performances and museums; and was a frequent visitor of Chautauqua, Cape Cod and The Shaw Festival. He was a devoted fan of Jazz, Frank Sinatra — who wrote him a personal thank you letter after Bud wrote an article about him — Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and anything Sondheim. He always preferred sitting at “the kids’ table” and often spent time chatting with young people about their education and career experiences.

Among Bud’s greatest joys were sharing his life’s passions with his daughter Susan and his twin granddaughters, Stephanie and Hayley. He considered Susan — who also graduated from Michigan and shares his love of the beach — the greatest accomplishment of his life. She became her father’s tireless advocate during his later years, for which he was eternally grateful. Bud played a huge role in his granddaughters’ lives, inspiring Stephanie to study journalism at Northwestern and Hayley to become a third-generation Wolverine. He was proud that they both pursued professions in media, and would routinely offer them career advice (whether solicited or not). He became their best friend and shared his life’s stories with them on a near weekly basis, which is why this obituary is so damn long.

Bud is survived by his devoted daughter Susan W. Saltzman (Bill), granddaughters Stephanie Saltzman, and Hayley Saltzman (David Wien), nieces and nephews and dear friend Elaine Gross. Bud was preceded in death by his wife Grace Weidenthal, and his twin sister Margaret “Sis” Gottlieb. Services were private. Donations may be made to The Cleveland Food Bank, The Cleveland Orchestra, or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In the alternative, kindly consider donating blood to The American Red Cross.

All services private.