Charles E Weiner

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Charles grew up in Miller Beach, Indiana. He attended William A. Wirt High School in Gary, completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University, and earned his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.

Charles eventually made his way west to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he spent more than 40 years, built his career as a lawyer, and became part of the city’s fabric.

The arts mattered to Charles, not only as something to admire but as something to protect and encourage. In the 2000s, he served as an officer of the Contemporary Arts Collective, which helps nurture Las Vegas’s growing contemporary arts scene. He also supported the Goldwell Open Air Museum near Rhyolite, Nevada, an outdoor sculpture museum that supports artistic activity in the region.

In 2007, Charles challenged plans for a major development that overlapped with the downtown Las Vegas Arts District, standing up for a place and community he valued deeply. The Las Vegas Review-Journal described him, fittingly, as a “camera-shy patron of the arts.”

That description suited him. Charles preferred not to be photographed, but he loved being behind the camera. Photography had been part of his life since childhood, and he found joy in capturing the people, places, and moments around him.

Charles was intensely private and unmistakably himself. He had somewhat of a cowboy spirit: funny, direct, independent, and comfortable doing things on his own terms. He often kept different parts of his life separate, but the friendships he formed could last a lifetime. Even those who knew him well may have felt there was always more to know, but they also knew him as loyal, thoughtful, and deeply present in his own way.

Charles often stayed connected by sending articles to friends and family that he thought they would find interesting. It was a simple, characteristically Charles way of letting people know he was thinking of them.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Allan and Myra Weiner; his brother, Mark Weiner; and his sister, Karuna Rose, born Roslyn Weiner. He is survived by his loving nephew, David Weiner, and David’s wife, Allison; his niece, Debbie Weiner; and his cousin, Ira Fruitman, with whom he shared a lifelong friendship.

Charles will be remembered for his humor, his independence, the friendships he carried throughout his life, and the uniquely Charles ways he stayed connected to the people he cared about.