Howard Morton Weisberg

Born July 29th, 1920, in Brooklyn NY when the borough was transitioning from horse drawn carriages to cable cars, he has led an extraordinarily adventurous life with an exuberance and impish sense of humour that he displayed to the very end. Born in the family residence on Saint Johns Place, he graduated Erasmus Hall High School, June 1938. As a youth in the 1930ʼs he parked cars at Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He witnessed the airship Hindenberg as it passed over to make its fateful landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. He entered WWII, winning the war (as he described it) by serving as an Army Air Force Sergeant radio operator in Iwo Jima with the 46 Fighter Squadron. Awarded the Bronze Star, his unit fought on the ground in Iwo Jima and in the air over Tokyo Japan.

Upon his return home following the war he proudly attended Washington Square College, New York University, graduating with a BA and a concentration in Accounting. He often proudly remarked that he analyzed clients books only after becoming intimately familiar with their core business. His profession often saw him travel in the 50ʼs to Norfolk and a fledgling Virginia Beach to work on the accounts of the early pioneers of the area homebuilding industry. In 1958, with Barry and Nancy Clark, they formed Clark Whitehill. Though not coming from a traditional building trade he figured homebuilding was a “systems problem”. Their success was built upon hard work and discipline to those “systems”, building homes, shopping centers and apartment communities that are still providing shelter and shopping choices for Virginia Beach families today. Active from the formative days of the Tidewater Association of Home Builders/Tidewater Builders Association, he attained the position of President in 1969 and remained active in local, State and National Home Building Association until his retirement. His proudest TBA legacy included the creation of the TBA Scholarship Foundation for which Clark Whitehill built the first Scholarship House in 1966.

His heart was only once broken when his beloved Dodgers left Brooklyn. His sense of romance was finally

restored when he married the love of his life, Nancye, with whom he lived and laughed fully. His marriage to our Mom gained him the instant family he had always wanted, given his fond remembrance of the wonderful impact his Father and Mother, Samuel and Gertrude, had on his life. Perhaps the greatest testament to his impact on his family is that each individual feels that their relationship with him was both unique and special. As his parents so influenced him he, in turn, encouraged and helped his family to seek education and expand knowledge through travel where he formed life-long relationships with dear friends from around the world.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Gertrude Weisberg; his sister, Claire Dexter; his grandson, David Banholzer; childhood best friend, Hilly Block and countless friends.

He is survived by our mother, Nancye Weisberg, children Kathy and George, George and Daphne, and Michael and Bonnie, 17 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, niece Susan, nephews Bruce, Frederick, and Barry. We will all miss him dearly.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the TBA Howard M. And Nancye C. Weisberg Scholarship, Coastal Virginia Building Industry Association, 2117 Smith Avenue, Chesapeake, VA 23320.