Donald Michaelis Weil passed away on January 15 at the age of 91. He was born on April 18, 1929, in New Orleans¸ Louisiana. He was the son of Emile Weil and Fay Irving, the stepson of Morris Irving, the half-brother of Julie Irving Kershaw, and the brother-in-law of Sam Rosen (wife Joan Rosen). He was pre deceased in 2018 by his beloved wife of 66 years, Betty Rosen Weil. He was the devoted father of four much loved children, Dr. Michael M. Weil (wife Dr. MaryJane Weil) of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Leslie Weil, Dr. John Mark Weil (partner Dr. Dianne Perkowski Schindler) of Washington, D.C., and Lisa B. Weil of Arlington, Massachusetts. He was the grandfather of Sarah Weil Fielkow (husband Justin Fielkow) of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Amalie Weil and great-grandfather of Jesse and Emile Fielkow. He was the step-grandfather of Dr. Alexander C. Roby (wife Megan Roby) and step-great-grandfather of Taylor Roby, William Roby, and Eleanor Roby.
Mr. Weil graduated with a degree in business from Tulane University where he was a member of the Naval ROTC. As a member of ZBT fraternity, he made many lifelong friends and met his future wife, a member of AEPi sorority. At the outbreak of the Korean War, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. He served 20 months on active duty and more than 26 years in the Marine Corps Reserves retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He worked for and then managed the family business, Itzkovitch Furniture, on Magazine Street for almost 20 years. After selling the business, he became a business partner with Dr. Tom Greenberg and helped expand his practice, Vision Plaza, to over a dozen locations. With Jack Green, and Welville Wolfson he co-owned and co-managed General Housing in uptown New Orleans. He had an avid interest in military history and began collecting and later casting military miniatures. He turned this passion into a business as a co-founder and co-owner, along with Dave Dugas, of Le Petit Soldier Shop on Royal Street. For decades he played doubles tennis every Sunday morning. He enjoyed traveling with Betty, often to Europe and to the annual international military miniature show in Chicago. They learned about history and jazz by attending continuing education courses at UNO. After Hurricane Katrina forced him to close the shop, he volunteered as a docent at the National World War 2 Museum. He was kind and generous to all who knew him and will be remembered by his friends for his warm and gentle sense of humor. The family wishes to express its thanks to Denise Tebbe, Kathy Brannon and to the caregivers from Passages Hospice and Poydras Home for their kind, compassionate, and professional care.
Immediate family will bury Mr. Weil next to his wife in a private graveside service to be held at Dispersed of Judah Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the World War 2 Museum, or the charity of your choosing. Condolences may be expressed online at lakelawnmetairie.com.
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