Edmund “Ed” Weihrauch
WEIHRAUCH: On Dec. 24, 2022, Edmund “Ed” Weihrauch passed away peacefully in the presence of his family in Squirrel Hill. He was the beloved husband of Margarita Pelakh; caring father of Sabrina Weihrauch; and proud grandfather of Dane Jacomen. He was the son of Abraham and Sabina Weihrauch, born in Lvov, Poland, on Aug. 30, 1938. Ed was a child survivor of the Holocaust. At age 4, a year after his father was called up to the Soviet army, Ed and his mother were forced into the Lvov ghetto. A year later, they were the only members of his family to escape the ghetto. For the next two years, the two went deeper into hiding in Poland’s rural countryside. Months before the end of the war, Ed and Sabina were taken in by a group of Soviet partisans. Ultimately, they were separated from this group and taken to a forced-labor prisoner camp. On the eve of the war’s conclusion in July 1944, they were allowed to escape the camp — at which point, Sabina took Ed to Prague, Czechoslovakia, and later, to Munich, Germany. At age 12, destitute but hopeful, Ed and his mother immigrated to the United States, sponsored by a great-uncle. They eventually landed in Pittsburgh, living in Highland Park. Tragically, Sabina passed away five years later from cancer. Shortly after his arrival in Pittsburgh, Ed became a bar mitzvah at the Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh. He continued his studies at Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a Bachelor of Science and master’s in English. Ed was an early pioneer in the computer industry, where he ultimately discovered his passion for teaching computer science as a professor.
While studying at University of Pittsburgh, Ed married Barbara (Cannon) Weihrauch; deceased 1996. Ed was married to Barbara for 29 years. Ed later married Mary (Ocskay) Weihrauch; deceased 2007. They enjoyed a common love of animals, having owned horses, cats and dogs. Late in life, Ed married Margarita Pelakh. Their meeting at Pittsburgh’s Jewish Film Festival came at a time when Ed was embracing his Jewish heritage and opening “the doors of certain rooms in [his] mind [kept] tightly shut.” Ed was a gifted teacher, not only in computer science, but in life. He loved the outdoors — hiking, mountain biking and most of all, walking his dogs in Frick Park. Ed was passionate about soccer, having been a member of the University of Pittsburgh’s varsity soccer team, and supporting his grandson’s love for the game. The tragedies and hardships that Ed overcame as a child survivor did not define the man who he became later in life. He went on to live a rich life filled with joy, best captured in his own words imparted upon his young grandson: “If there is a lesson I learned much later in life it’s to strive to do the best you can, be aware of wonder — particularly in the everyday little things that we all take for granted — and be true to yourself.” Graveside service and interment will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at 12 noon at Homewood Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held at a later time. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph SchugarChapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC
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