Harry Weill
2005
Harry Weill, a prominent local attorney who enjoyed a
legendary career of more than 60 years and who spread a unique zest for life
wherever he went, died Wednesday, June 22, 2005, at a local hospital. He was 88.
The senior partner in the
Chattanooga
law firm of Weill, Durand and Long, he began his passionate pursuit of law in
1940 and, with the exception of time spent in military service, never left or
retired from the profession he loved.
During the long span of his career, he also devoted his energy and
leadership talent to a number of civic and religious organizations and community
endeavors and enlivened countless social gathering with his renowned
storytelling skills.
An avid lifelong skier, he was tackling slopes in North and
South America
and
Europe
into his 88th year, making these trips with area ski clubs or with his children
and grandchildren in tow. A devoted family man, the trips became a high point of
the Weill family activities calendar.
A
Chattanooga
native, he attended
McCallie
School
, graduating in 1932 at the young age of 15. He received a bachelor’s degree
from the
University
of
Virginia
in 1936 and a law degree from
Harvard
University
Law
School
in 1940. After graduating from Harvard, he returned to
Chattanooga
, where he joined the law firm of Joseph Roberts and accepted an appointment as
legal counsel to one of the county’s World War II Selective Service boards.
Instead of granting himself an indefinite deferment from military service as he
might have, he drafted himself into the Army among
Hamilton
County
’s first group of inductees.
During World War II, he served first in military intelligence, then
received flight training to become an Army Air Corps B29 pilot, flying bombing
missions from Northwest Field in
Guam
. After the war, he returned permanently to his hometown and the legal
profession. He married Marcelle Baum of
Birmingham
,
Ala.
, in December 1947, and the couple had three children, Lige, Flossie and Audrey.
Harry Weill held a number of posts, including president of the
Junior Chamber of Commerce, an officer of Kiwanis Club, a board director of
Girls’ Club of Chattanooga, a member of the Estate Planning Council of
Chattanooga, a founder of Bank of Rossville and president of Mizpah
Congregation.
During his more than 60 years of legal service, he was a member of
the local, state and national bar associations and a member of the
Chattanooga
and Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. He was admitted to the Supreme Court
of Tennessee and U.S. Supreme Court and was a member of the American Judicature
Society.
For most of his six decades of legal practice, he worked from
offices in the
Volunteer
Building
in downtown
Chattanooga
. The firm, which includes Flossie Weill, Ira Long Jr., Whitney Durand and Bill
Bolen, recently moved two blocks away to new offices in the
Tallan
Building
.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Elsie Wertheimer
Weill and David Robert Weill; his brother, Dr. David Robert Weill Jr. of
Pittsburgh
,
Pa.
; and his sister, Betty Rose Long of
Chattanooga
.
Survivors include his wife, Marcelle Baum Weill; three children,
Lige Harry Weill of
Knoxville
, Flossie Weill of
Chattanooga
and Audrey Weill Bolson of Mercer Island, Wash.; son-in-law, David Bolson of
Mercer Island
; four grandchildren, Johnny Shoaf and Alex Shoaf, both of
Chattanooga
, and Philip Bolson and Harry Bolson, both of
Mercer Island
; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at
10:30 a.m.
today, June 24, in the
Temple
sanctuary at Mizpah Congregation at
923 McCallie Ave.
with Rabbi Joshua Lief officiating.
A private interment ceremony for the family will follow at
Mizpah
Cemetery
.
Pallbearers are Dr. Ira Long, David Bolson, Barry Parker, Dr.
Jeffrey Gefter and the grandsons.
The body will lie in state at the
Temple
one hour before the service.
The family asks that contributions be made to a favorite charity in
lieu of flowers. Arrangements are by J. Avery Bryan Funeral Home,
747 McCallie Ave.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2005.