Obituary of Harvey Weisslitz
Dr. Harvey Weisslitz (1939-2023)
Dr. Harvey Weisslitz, 84, of Jackson, New Jersey, peacefully passed away on December 10, 2023, of complications related to Parkinson’s Disease, an affliction he admirably and nobly combatted for over two decades.
Harvey was born in Newark, New Jersey on April 4, 1939 to the late Mrs. Frances and Abe Weisslitz. When he was not spending his time memorizing baseball statistics, doing his newspaper route or lovably consuming his mother’s cooking, Harvey attended the Newark public schools, eventually graduating from Weequahic High School.
Upon graduating, Harvey attended Rutgers University on a full scholarship, and thereafter attended NY Medical College (f/k/a Flower Fifth Avenue). Ironically, and unbeknownst to him at the time, his Biochemistry Professor in Medical School was Martin Horowitz, Phd, who years later Harvey would learn to know was the uncle of his future wife, Marilyn.
Harvey proudly served for his Country in the US Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander LCDR, caring for the families of the brave United States soldiers serving our country.
Harvey was introduced to the love of his life, Marilyn, under serendipitous pretenses, when while golfing in Puerto Rico, he was randomly partnered with the late Daniel Oster, Marilyn’s father. From there, as they say, the story wrote itself….
After marrying Marilyn in 1972, they shortly thereafter settled down in Westfield, New Jersey, a town they would call home for close to three decades. Harvey had a very successful practice as an Allergist, maintaining offices in Edison, NJ and Westfield, NJ, for decades. He thoroughly enjoyed his work, loved the intellectual challenge of diagnosing and treating the conditions of his patients, and simply liked talking to, and befriending, the people he treated and saw every day, especially the children. Admirably, he continued to practice medicine for a number of years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; it was part of who he was, and he did not want to give that up.
Harvey will be remembered as a kind, gentle, brilliant man, who was the biggest supporter and cheerleader of his children. He did not need fancy things to make him happy, an attribute that likely helped him persevere through the challenging last few years of his life, spent in a nursing home.
Harvey was preceded in death by his sweet and loving parents, Frances Weisslitz and Abe Weisslitz, and is survived by his incredibly beloved wife of over five decades, Marilyn Weisslitz (who cared for and stood by him every single day until the very end; her daily visits to Harvey are what kept him going), his brother, Edward Weisslitz, his three children, Jeffrey Weisslitz, Michael Weisslitz, and Toby Weisslitz Graves, his nieces, Jessica Gabbai and Emily Weisslitz), and his seven grandchildren, Ella, AJ, Millie, Danielle, Hannah, Wilder and Rivka.
In lieu of flowers, Harvey’s family would be forever thankful for donations to be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation (http://www.parkisnon.org) Arrangements have been entrusted to Freeman Funeral Home, Freehold, NJ.
