Weiner, Jeanne "Betty"
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jeanne Betty Weiner at the age of 104.
When we say that Jeanne Betty lived one of the fullest lives we can imagine, it's tempting to attribute that simply to her longevity. It's not every day you hear about someone passing at the age of 104 and think they might have gone too soon.
But the fullness of Jeanne Betty's existence was far more than her century of life on the planet. It was the joy, optimism and love that she brought to every room she walked into, and every person she met, who she would always greet with her customary, "How do you do?"
Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1920 to Pauline and Lester Rothenberg, Jeanne Betty was fully suited to the family of entertainers who brought her up. From childhood, she had a knack for making people around her feel both welcome and important. She attended Northwestern University in Chicago, a town she always felt a deep affection for, and studied television at a time when the medium was just barely off the ground. She would spend her life as a performer, whether it was starring in commercials and her own TV show, playing leads in summer stock productions, singing with the popular vocal group The Daytones, or simply regaling friends and family with stories that captured her era.
It was during the Second World War when Jeanne Betty met the man she would marry, when her family hosted a party and invited a few army officers. Someone told Jeanne Betty that there was "a handsome young lieutenant playing piano downstairs." When Jeanne Betty approached the pianist, he stood up to greet her and said, "Sing something for me." Jeanne Betty married Sidney Weiner in 1944. They were married for 67 years.
But what Jeanne Betty was most committed to, the North Star she always pointed toward, was family. And that family wasn't just her own. No matter how distant the relative, or how long ago the friendship, she would make an effort to let people know they were remembered, and still held a place in her heart. She was enormously proud of the work she did in pulling together the funds and resources to feed over 3,000 of Dayton's homeless annually at Elder Beerman's Thanksgiving, and she was known by children throughout the city as Mother Goose, a role she played in Dayton's annual Kinder Concerts. She also co-produced the Dayton Holiday Festival, which ran annually over three months in Dayton, and she put on numerous performances with her husband Sid and daughters Wendy and Lori to benefit organizations in Dayton and Southwest Florida.
Jeanne Betty had a deep love of both her hometown of Dayton, Ohio and her adopted home of Sarasota, Florida. For decades, she and Sidney would divide their time between the two, becoming fixtures in both communities. After Sidney's passing in 2011, Jeanne Betty remained a vibrant presence in Sarasota, and would frequently travel to visit family members well into her late 90's.
In 2022, Jeanne Betty took on one of her most extraordinary challenges-moving to a new country at the age of 102. Her daughter Wendy asked her, "Mom, do you think you have one more big adventure left in you?" Jeanne Betty's response would be little surprise to anyone who knew her: "Boy, do I!" That summer, she moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she would live the rest of her life. As with everywhere else she went, she became a fixture of the community, and people would regularly greet her and kiss her on the cheek during her daily visits to Parque Juarez.
Words do little justice to the kind of brilliant life force, and extraordinary goodwill Jeanne Betty brought to the world. Simply being in her presence made you feel better about yourself. Our sense of loss at her departure is matched only by the profound gratitude we all share at having such a beautiful soul in our lives.
Jeanne Betty is survived by her daughter Wendy Bichel (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico); her sons Randall Weiner (Boulder, Colorado) and Tony Weiner (Eureka, California); her grandchildren Alex Bichel (Miami, Florida); Nicholas Fox (Worcester, Massachusetts); Alexandra Fox (Los Angeles, California); Aaron Weiner (Salt Lake City, Utah); and Elijah Weiner (Chicago, Illinois); as well as her great grandchildren, Sabrina and Marcus Bichel (Miami, Florida).
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, April 6 at 11 a.m. at Beth Abraham Cemetery Chapel. 1817 West Schantz Avenue in Dayton.
Notes to the family may be sent to Randall Weiner, Randall@weinercording.com, for distribution. Jeanne Betty would want donations sent to your favorite charity, but you may recall her popular song, written for the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton and performed with her husband Sid: "That Guy Should Give More." Funeral arrangements entrusted to Marker & Heller Funeral Home.