Louise Weisbord

Louise Gratz Weisbord, 80, of New York City passed away peacefully in her sleep early in the morning of April 30, 2023, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Her love for her family was immense, her inner beauty as vibrant as her smile and her compassion for others knew no bounds.

Louise was born on November 30, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Hannah and Samuel Gratz, of blessed memory. She grew up in Levittown, PA where she attended Neshaminy High School. Louise then enrolled in Adelphi College on Long Island, but ultimately transferred to and graduated from New York University with a BA in English. She went on to obtain her MA in Education, also from NYU.

After graduating, Louise first taught English at St. Lucy’s and then Spanish at Junior High School 80 in the Bronx. She went on to teach at Brandeis High School in Manhattan for more than 25 years where she specialized in teaching English as a Second Language to high school students who grew up elsewhere or came from families where little to no English was spoken.

Louise’s mother Hannah introduced her to Jeffrey Weisbord, a young man she had met in business. For their first date the two attempted to see a movie but arrived too late. Instead, they went to dinner with Louise dressed in a beautiful red suit. They were married in 1962 at Har Zion Temple in Philadelphia. Louise and Jeffrey went on to have two daughters, Lisa and Jennifer.

Louise had many passions and was an avid collector of depression glass, vintage teapots, and Hall pottery. She loved the vibrant colors and variety of shapes and amassed a collection well into the hundreds. Louise also loved the theater, particularly musicals, a love she passed along to her daughters. She was also a huge doo wop fan and she and Jeffrey celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with an old-fashioned sock hop.

Louise had a real eye for fashion and took great pleasure in dressing her friends. She turned this passion into the original side hustle, creating a bespoke personal shopping experience she called “From Louise’s Closet.”

Louise is survived by her husband Jeffrey, her daughters Lisa (Michael Rosenberg) and Jennifer (Lorenzo Ciniglio) and her three grandchildren Sam Rosenberg, Jacob Rosenberg and Hannah Ciniglio. She was a warm and generous person who will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Services will be held at Congregation Rodeph Sholom on May 2, 2023, at 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://pancan.org/