Murray Weingrad
Murray “Murph” Weingrad, 101, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle, passed away peacefully at home Tuesday afternoon, June 7.
Born in Ossining, NY, on July 25, 1920, the son of Russian immigrants Sadie (Marvin) Weingrad and Louis Morris Weingrad. He grew up in Ossining, where he attended high school and attended UConn at Storrs, where he played baseball, basketball and football, and where he met his wife, Stamford native Louise Reback Weingrad, also a UConn graduate. They married in 1944 before he was drafted to serve in World War II in the 1262nd Engineer Combat Battalion in the UK, France and Germany from 19441946. After the war and some time spent teaching and studying at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, he returned to UConn and graduated in 1946 with a degree in history. He settled in Stamford, where he taught history at Stamford High School and played, coached and refereed basketball and baseball and was a mainstay at the Stamford Jewish Community Center. He went on to earn two Master's degrees at NYU. He was also a longtime member of the board of education and a leader in the American Federation of Teachers. He and Louise had 2 children before her death in 1959.
In 1961 he married the second love of his life, Genevieve, who moved to Stamford with her three teenage children. Their blended families led to dozens of grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
The Weingrad family have been longtime members of Temple Sinai, where he served as president of the Brotherhood from 1965– 1966 and was active in annual Mitzvah Days and many other volunteer activities. While living in Norwalk for a few years in the ‘70s, he and Gen sang in the Serendipity Chorus and were regulars at the Silver Star Diner.
He left teaching in 1960 to join Martin Segal, an international consulting and investment company. While there, he worked with J. Walter Kennedy, the NBA Commissioner and helped mediate labor contracts for the fledgling sports league. He also worked for the Pension and Welfare Department of U.S. Labor. And until 2010, he was an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport. An avid tennis player, he played tennis with a group that called themselves The Triple ByPass Club until he was 91. He played bridge and drove until he was 99, and at 100, was still active on Facebook. The week before he died, he attended the wedding of his oldest great-grandchild.
Murray was predeceased by his wife, Gen; his parents and 3 siblings, Archie Weingrad, Hannah Weingrad Schlowsky, and Richard Weingrad; and his four children, Dr. Jan Weingrad Smith of Norwalk, CT, Linda Weintraub Stark, Nancy Weintraub Leferman, and Lewis Weintraub.
He is survived by his sister Pauline Ladds (Stamford); his daughter Deborah Weingrad and son-in-law Christopher Campbell (Norwalk, CT); sons-in-law Alan Stark ( Jupiter, FL) and Norman Leferman (Dalton, MA); grandchildren David Stark (Patty) of Pound Ridge, NY, Rebecca Stark Schwartz, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Lori Baden (Alan Rothenstreich) Randi Price (Craig), Marc Leferman (Susan), all of Stamford; Michelle Perry (Malik) of Dallas, TX, Matthew Campbell (Norwalk) and Rachel Campbell (Bridgeport, CT) and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services Thursday, June 9 at Temple Sinai will be in person and live streamed followed by interment at Beth El Cemetery. The family will announce shiva arrangements shortly. Donations in his memory can be made to Temple Sinai, Lakeside Drive, Stamford, CT and to a midwifery scholarship fund established in honor of his daughter, Dr. Jan Weingrad Smith, at Frontier Nursing University where she was a member of the faculty. https://interland3.donorperfect.net/ weblink/WebLink.aspx?na me=E202861&id=51&fbclid =IwAR3rqglnf PL 9 nZ ob D 2 Pl-RLhqZHhECAB_xN1NgnJpRkfjjFU1Uv2DHTu8Oo