Obituary of Gerald Sonny Weissman

Gerald (Jerry) Sonny Weissman, age 86, passed away on December 28, 2016 at the Nevada State Home for Veterans after lingering illnesses. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Lillie Ann Weissman; his son, David Weissman and wife Marcie Weissman; his daughter, Sarah Levine and husband Ken Levine, his son, Kenneth Weissman and wife Isabel Weissman, stepchildren Lori Kaiser, Robert Kaiser and Ronnie Kaiser, his nine loving grandchildren Brian Weissman (Elina Weissman), Craig Weissman (Melissa Weissman), Ariella Levine, Sam Levine, Alexander Weissman, Andrew Weissman and Daniel Weissman and numerous nieces, nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Evelyn Weissman and his older brother Howard Weissman, and his first wife, Lynette Katz Weissman. Gerald (Jerry) Weissman was born in Brooklyn NY on Oct. 29, 1930 to parents Evelyn & Joseph Weissman (Esq.) at the beginning of the Great Depression. He was a graduate of James Madison High School, attended college courses at University of California & City College of New York and he was a lifetime fan of the Brooklyn Dodger (now Los Angeles Dodgers) and had an encyclopedic memory of their players, history, coaching staff and farming system. At age 20 (1951) he enlisted in the U.S.A.F. he went to tech school at Norton Air Force Base and in November of 1952 he was shipped overseas to Korea and was in active duty in the Korean war until December 1953 and he worked in 5th Air Force Intelligence Dept. He then rotated to the US in Jan. of 1954 and was stationed at Barksdale Air force Base attached to Headquarters 2nd Air Force Intelligence and operations where he monitored simulated combat missions. Jerry was awarded a Foreign service medal, a United Nations medal and 2 Bronze stars. Jerry worked as a sales representative for the Ely Company (a wholesale distributer of men's gifts) for 28 years and was moved by the company to Shreveport, LA from (1968-1975) and then to Houston, TX from (1975-1991) until the company was sold. In 1993, his first wife passed away and he lived life as a widower until he met his 2nd wife, Lillie in 1994. The couple married in July 1995 and moved to the Las Vegas area shortly thereafter. The couple lived in Sun City (Summerlin) until Jerry's back injuries necessitated that they move into Atria Sunlake in 2012. In retirement, Jerry was an avid singer and performer and performed with the High Hats (a volunteer performance group) and in his Synagogue choir, and he was the president of the men's club and involved board member for many years at BKB (Bet Knesset Bamidbar). At the Atria he was the resident council president and the leader of the social activities committee. The definition of a great father, Jerry was always there for his kids. He had great pride in his children and they knew it! The family takes great comfort in knowing that Jerry was beloved by so many; he never met a stranger. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association or the Jewish War Veterans. Burial will be at the Southern Nevada Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 30, 2016 at Kraft-Sussman Funeral Services, 3975 S. Durango Drive, Suite 104, Las Vegas, NV. .