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Lenny Weiss 
Kim Smokowski (Mosher) came to visit June 29-20. Her husband Rob said she doesn't smile like this in pics with him!
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Love, Lenny, Tara, Lenny & Maggie Weiss (651)437-4844
Journal
Sunday, August 23, 2009 11:01 PM CDT
Maggies words about her Dad.....
Whether you are a son, or even a daughter, there is one constant in your life that you share: A father.
From the moment you are born, or take your first steps, to the start you school career, your father is always there. He plays patty-cake with you, or even peek-a-boo. He keeps you on your feet as you totter along when you take your first steps, or catches you as you fall. He watches you leave on the bus for your first day of school. He tries to be everything for you, not just a father, but a friend, or an older sibling. To his daughter, he is Superman, a boy band and her best friend rolled into one person. On her wedding day, he gets to walk her down the aisle to give her away, and later share a dance with her. To his son, he is the ultimate cheerleader, coach, mascot, fan and teammate, catching baseballs, throwing a football, or just sitting on the sidelines, cheering him on. For both, he is a parent, one who cares about their grades, their futures, and their choices. He is the one who claps the hardest when his child gets their diploma during graduation, and gives them a hug when they’re sad. He is their whole world, the center of the universe.
My father was no exception. In fact, the day I was born, while my mother talked about how cute I was…. “‘Oh look, she has Donohue ears.’”
Like most little girls ages 5,6 or 7, I thought my dad “hung the moon and scattered the stars.” I was in love with him; his cooking, his humor, his laugh and the jokes he played on my mother. I knew his as “Mr. Fix-it,” and believed he could fix anything and everything, from skinned knees and slivers to stuffed animals and holey socks. To be frank, I was a daddy’s girl, through and through. The sun shined from every angle of his person, and no cloudy day could stand in his way. By the ages of 10, 11 and 12, other thing happened. I still loved my dad, but I also loved school, books, boys…. The things, in short, that turn little girls into teenagers.
When he was first diagnosed, I was a 13 years-old at a Girl Scout camp, riding horses, hiking in the woods and, of course, being eaten alive by mosquitoes. When I came home, and realized my dad was facing such a bad prognosis, I could only hope that nothing bad would happen. After that half-year of chemotherapy treatments, I breathed a sigh or relief, knowing that, even though the cancer may yet return, all was well for the moment.
Despite the fact that the cancer would return many times after that, my dad tried to live as normal a life as possible with us. He visited with friends, people he’d known his whole life from New Jersey, like Steve, Craig and Bobby, to more recent friends, like Jeff Neitzke, whom he met at Dakota County. Meanwhile, my brother and I kept working hard at school, trying not to lose sight of our final goal. Lenny played his hockey, and I kept reading my books, sampling all that being a middle school, and later a high school student, had to offer. I became involved in speech team at school, and art club, drama club, film club and lacrosse. One of my greatest cheerleaders was, of course, my dad. He was there for almost every home game I played during my four years in high school. I remember one time, when we had a team dinner at our house my freshman year, how he made his famous lasagna. My team loved it! Also, he always asked me how I did during speech meets, and asked what movie I saw whenever he picked me up from film club. On some occasions, we would go out for Culver’s Ice Cream, going through the drive-thru, and ordering whatever it was you wanted. He was there for pick- up and drop off for Lenny’s hockey activities, and when I went with friends to the movies; even during midnight releases of Harry Potter, he was a constant player, there for the books, and somehow managing to see the movies, either at home, or at the theatre.
He was a familiar figure around town, in his Minnesota Gophers Hockey sweatshirt, and yellow ‘Maxfli’ baseball cap. He loved that cap; as the years passed, I came to think of it unconsciously as his “lucky cap.“ He always had a smile on his face, and did his best to make others happy, too. I remember this year, I got him a St. Kate’s Dad t-shirt for Father’s Day. He never wore it, but it was the sort of shirt that he thought was quite nice.
He helped me through the college application process, and celebrated with me when I was accepted into St. Catherine’s. He toured Bethel with me, and supported my decision not to go there. He was there to see me off when I went to Washington D.C to see Obama’s inauguration, and was there when I gave my speech at my graduation.
The morning he died, I saw how happy he seemed. His friend, Bobby Soules, had come to visit, and it filled him up with love. He was calling all his friends and family, telling them how much fun he’d had in Florida a week ago, and how he couldn’t wait for Craig DePascal to come over. He was positively glowing.
One of the many things I will miss is his love of life. He enjoyed life with a passion, one usually associated with college students on their 21st birthday. That is one of the legacies that my dad left behind, his love of friends, and company. He left us his smile, laugh, humor, and love of company, giving us, his friends and family, something to cherish in this time we have without him. He also loved apple pie with either Maple Nut, or Vanilla Ice Cream, something I’m convinced he grew up with. Another will be the lasagna that was so good, it was like Heaven baked into a pan. No one could make lasagna like he did; there was something about it was stood out from others, and made it the best ever.
Speaking of Heaven, I believe that my dad earned his wings long ago, and now lives next to the sun, where he watches us all, and plans all sorts of mischief, just like he used to do. Now, I can say that my dad really does hang the moon and scatters the stars, for you, and for me.
Bye bye Daddy....
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