William “Bill” Dwight Weiss '62
William “Bill” Dwight Weiss died in Jackson Hole at the age of 78 on Jan. 6, surrounded by his immediate family and grandchildren. His family provided the following remembrance.
Bill’s father was assigned to the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, and Bill was born in San Diego at the U.S. Army hospital on June 5, 1943, to William Erhardt Weiss Jr. and Martha Dwight Douglas. Bill grew up in Cove Neck, New York, and he spent much of his formative years at his mother’s family home during the summer on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. He always joked that his writing was so poor because his French was better than his English. His mother died when Bill was 15 years old, and his father married Mary Estelle Kitterman, who brought two step-siblings, Arturo Peralta-Ramos and Lorian Peralta-Ramos Buckley, into his life.
Bill attended Indian Mountain School followed by Avon Old Farms and went on to have a brief stint at Colorado College from 1962 to 1966, where he started the lacrosse team before departing for Parsons College. He earned a B.A. in business administration from Parsons College and graduated in 1968. A year later Bill met and married his wife Robin Biddle Martin. They began their life in Oyster Bay and Cove Neck, New York. Bill dove into the family company, Lambda Drug. He and Robin moved to Beirut, Lebanon, from 1970 to 1972, representing the family business in the Middle East. Upon returning to Oyster Bay they started a family.
1976 was a pivotal year for Bill and Robin. They wanted to leave Long Island and move West. They decided on Cody, largely because of Bill and his father’s connection to and interest in Western art and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Bill and his father had a deep love and appreciation of American and Native American art, which influenced their support of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Bill and Robin started the Patron’s Ball, which is still the main fundraiser for the museum to this day. Bill and his father ran Medtech Laboratories, where Bill became CEO upon his father’s death in 1987. During his time in Cody, Bill was also the head of the chamber of commerce and was appointed to the Wyoming Council of the Arts board by the governor of Wyoming.
In 1988 Bill moved his family to Jackson Hole, where he continued to run Medtech Laboratories. He was also the president of Winvesco Inc., a family investment company, from 1985 until his death. Jackson became home for Bill and his family, and he truly dug into the community and became a huge supporter of many nonprofit organizations. Bill stayed involved with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West while living in Jackson and supported the museum until his death. He was on the board of Avon Old Farms from 1985 to 1989 and on the board of Miss Porter’s School from 1994 to 1998. He was a vestry member and chairman of two capital campaigns for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson. He was a board member and a treasurer for the United States Pony Club from 2000 until his death. He was also a board member and vice president at the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole from 2005 to 2012. Bill was a supporter and chaired the Grand Teton Music Festival, where he started the Wine Auction that became the festival’s primary fundraiser for several years. Jackson was where Bill called home, and he truly relished supporting the community and helping to make Jackson the amazing place it is today. To call Bill a pillar of the community is an absolute truth.
Bill and Robin spent most of their time in Jackson, but also enjoyed escaping the winter and spending several months out of the year at their home in Gulfstream, Florida. Bill also had a family home in Indian River, Michigan, where he was a member of the Columbus Beach Club and where his family spent many summers at their house, which overlooks Burt Lake. He was a member of the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania; Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, New York; The Brook Club in New York City; Bath and Tennis in Palm Beach, Florida; Creek Club in Locust Valley, New York; Seawanaka in Oyster Bay; Gulstream Golf and Tennis in Gulfsream; and 3 Creek Golf Club in Jackson.
Bill had an amazing zest for life as well as a larger-than-life personality. He would light up a room and command presence and was always giving advice, but he was never hurt if one didn’t take it. Bill was an accomplished athlete as a young adult and stayed active in golf, tennis, fishing and hunting for most of his life. He loved good food, drink, fun and friends. Bill loved all the finer things in life and was lucky enough to be able to experience it all. Perhaps his true legacy will be the impact that he was able to make and how many people’s lives he touched. He was always ready to help and make a difference, and his generosity knew no bounds. His influence reached far and wide and there will be many stories shared for years to come.
Bill is survived by his wife, Robin Martin Weiss; his children, William U. Weiss (Jean) and Katrina Weiss Ryan (Brandon); and his grandchildren, Hagen Caldwell Weiss, Alexandra Earhardt Weiss, William U. Weiss Jr., Madeline Douglas Ryan, Charles Martin Ryan and Olivia Demme Ryan.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody Wyoming or the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. The family will hold a memorial ceremony during summer of 2022.