Volunteer for children, Weinrott dies

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2001 | 8:53 a.m.

Hershel Weinrott was recuperating from a fall and could not attend the June dedication of the pond named in his honor at William Lummis Elementary School.

Self-educated and an ardent reader, Weinrott had been honored in November 1997 as the city of Las Vegas Citizen of the Month for unselfishly spending three to five days a week reading to the students at that Summerlin school.

But Weinrott was not comfortable with public ceremonies and never sought acknowledgement for his deeds. That is why in October he and his wife, Ruth Weinrott, privately visited Hershel Pond. It was the only time he ever saw it.

Weinrott, who seven years earlier began his local volunteer work that also included service to Sun City Summerlin and Las Vegas Jewish organizations, was hospitalized a day after his visit to the pond and died Sunday of heart failure at Kindred Hospital of Las Vegas. He was 87.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Palm Mortuary-Cheyenne. Graveside services will follow at noon at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

"My husband did a lot of work that touched a lot of people in such a short time," Ruth Weinrott said. "Everything he accomplished in life, he did by teaching himself. He was very proud of that."

For example, before Temple Bet Knesset Bamidbar hired a rabbi, Weinrott, who had tutored children in Hebrew for 25 years, conducted services as a lay person. As a longtime Sunday school teacher, Weinrott taught comparative religion to teenagers, promoting understanding and tolerance for all faiths.

The father of longtime Sun reporter Steve Kanigher, Weinrott was born Oct. 12, 1914, in Davenport, Iowa, the younger of two children of Joseph Weinrott and the former Goldie Gellerman. He was raised in Rock Island, Ill., where he graduated from high school.

Weinrott enlisted in the Army during World War II and served in the Philippines and Japan and worked for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper.

Although early on he entertained thoughts of becoming a journalist, Weinrott instead went into textile sales. When he moved to Las Vegas in 1994, he figured volunteer work would be a rewarding way to fill his days.

"He went to Lummis because it was the closest school to our home, and he initially intended to help only children who were having trouble reading," Ruth said. "From there, it just grew. The children came to adore him."

Hershel also served on several Sun City Summerlin Association committees and sold ads for the now-defunct monthly community newspaper, "Adhoc." He was active in the City of Hope and with the Jewish War Veterans Post 21. Weinrott was a former vice president of ritual for Temple Bet Knesset Bamidbar.

In addition to his wife, Weinrott is survived by three daughters, Cathie Cole of Lancaster, Calif., Ginny Weinrott of Los Angeles and Eileen Motzkin of Van Nuys, Calif; a son, Steve Kanigher of Las Vegas; and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister, Lee Nicholas.

The family says donations can be made in Hershel Weinrott's memory to the City of Hope Sun City Summerlin Chapter 1499.