Richard Edwin Weiss

OBITUARY

Richard Edwin Weiss, 76, of Emmaus died on Monday, October 26, 2026, at his home with his wife and daughter by his side. Born and raised in Allentown, he was the son of James and Marjorie (Flohr) Weiss. Rich was a 1968 graduate of William Allen High School. He attended Grove City College where he graduated in 1972 and continued his education at Lehigh University where he obtained his Master’s Degree. He was married to Mary Teresa Falco Weiss for 39 years.

Rich began his teaching career in 1972 as a ninth-grade math teacher at Emmaus High School. When Eyer Junior High School opened in 1974, Rich continued his teaching career there until he retired in 2006. Rich touched countless lives in his four decades of teaching, but not only as a teacher but as a coach. He became the first Emmaus varsity girls tennis coach early in his teaching career and then was asked to become the first Emmaus boys volleyball coach in 1974, and remained the coach for the program’s first six years. He also coached wrestling at the junior high level at Eyer and was an assistant volleyball coach at Muhlenberg College. But the majority of his coaching experience was at his alma mater, William Allen. He spent 26 years as the head coach for the girls tennis team where he made a major impact on many of his players, some of whom never picked up a tennis racket before coming out for the team.

Rich greatly enjoyed playing tennis and golfing with his friends. He also looked forward to playing poker with his buddies once a month. Rich was a family man. He hardly missed a soccer game of his daughter’s growing up and even when she played as an adult. He enjoyed watching his son play football and volleyball in high school and looked forward to their golf outings as adults. Recently, he rarely missed seeing his grandson play volleyball for the program he once started at Emmaus and always supported his granddaughter by attending her choral and theater performances.

An avid New York Giants, Rangers, and Knicks fan, he appreciated attending home games each year. Rich never met a piece of chocolate he didn’t like. Throughout the years, he fiercely competed in trivia nights and was the life of the party with his Eyer coworkers.

In July of 2025, Rich was diagnosed with ALS when he began having trouble with his right hand. ALS affects everyone differently and it affected Rich’s hands and diaphragm, which caused breathing difficulties.

Survivors: Rich is survived by his wife, Mary Teresa (Falco) and his 2 children: Eric, husband of Kelly (LoBue) Weiss and Emily, wife of Jeremy Houtz. He is survived by his two brothers: John, husband of Constance (Herrick) Weiss and Andrew, husband of Pamela (Marino) Weiss. He had 2 grandchildren, Sander and Selah Houtz.

A Funeral service will be held on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 11 A.M. at the J.S. Burkholder Funeral Home, 16th and Hamilton Sts. Allentown. Calling hours will be held on Thursday October 29, 2026 from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. and on Friday, October 30, 2026 from 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. in the funeral home. Condolences may be offered at: www.jsburkholder.com

Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to Allentown School District Foundation 520 Hamilton St. Suite 140, Allentown, PA 18101.