Joseph Marcus Weil Jr. 1917-2020
Joseph Marcus Weil, Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Highland Park, IL, at the age of 102 on June 24, 2020.
Joe was born in Chicago in 1917, the youngest child of Joseph Marcus Weil, Sr., and Hattie (nee Lepman), with two older sisters, Alice and Margaret. He grew up near Belmont Avenue and the lake through the 1920s and 1930s. His father ran the family tannery on Belmont and the river, together with his brother, Victor. The tannery was founded by the family in Ann Arbor in the 1840s and was moved to Chicago not long afterwards. Unfortunately, his father died young, while Joe was about ten, and the business was sold in the late 1920s. Joe attended Francis Parker School and excelled in almost all subjects, though he joked that he nearly killed his French and music teachers, subjects he had no talent for. He graduated from Harvard College in 1936, majoring in economics, and from Harvard Law School in 1939, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After Law School, he entered the Navy as an officer and was assigned to the battleship USS North Carolina, though he never put out to sea.
After the War, he returned to Chicago and joined the top law firm that is now Mayer Brown. When he joined, the firm had about 40 lawyers, and he saw it grow to about 1,500 lawyers in 27 cities around the world. He specialized in financial law and was one of the firm's lead lawyers for its biggest client at the time, the Continental Bank. He spent his whole career at Mayer Brown and rose to become a senior partner. He was known as brilliant, tough, and hard working, but also as compassionate and gentle, especially with the young lawyers whom he mentored. He always maintained his common touch and humility, though not the norm, and was respected for his integrity.
In 1949, Joe married the former Janis Uhlmann of Highland Park, a woman of great warmth and intelligence. Together in the 1950s, they had three children, Frederick David (Rick), Jane, and Susan. They were married for almost 70 years, when Janis passed away in 2019 at the age of 92. Joe and Jan were at the center of a large community of family and friends and were very active in civic affairs. Joe was a leading figure at the Chicago Jewish Child and Family Services, the Jewish United Fund of Chicago, Michael Reese Hospital, Francis Parker School, the Highland Park Civil Service Commission, and many other organizations. Joe and Jan were long-time members of Lakeshore Country Club in Glencoe, and Joe served as president of the club, and was an avid golfer and bridge player. For many decades, Joe and Jan spent part of the autumn in Woodstock, VT, and late winter and spring in Scottsdale, AZ. Their lives largely centered around family, friends, and service activities.
Joe is survived by three children, Frederick, Jane, and Susan Weil; eight grandchildren, Anna, Alison, and Emily Weil; Andrew, Evan, and Sarah Bertolli; and Rosamond and Lara Lieberman; and two great grandchildren, Parker and Brooke Bertolli.
He had a long and rich life, with many close family and friends, and he is missed by everyone whose life he touched.