“I never wanted to be the richest man in the cemetery.”
Jack A. “Papa Jack” Weil, who transformed the Western spirit into a successful business and an iconic cultural statement and was believed to be the oldest working CEO in the US, passed away Aug. 13, 2008 at his home, surrounded by his family.
He was 107.
News of Mr. Weil’s life and death was broadcast worldwide through newspapers and the Internet. All of Denver’s television stations carried the story, and several national newscasts gave airtime to a figure who had become internationally recognized.
Funeral services were held Aug. 17 at Temple Emanuel. Rabbi Steven Foster officiated. Interment took place the following day with Rabbi Julian Cook officiating. Fairmount Mortuary made the arrangements.Mr. Weil, who founded Rockmount Ranch Wear in 1946, originated the Western shirt. His sawtooth pocket and diamond snap design revolutionized American fashion and attracted celebrity fans around the world. He is also credited with inventing the commercial bolo tie.
The gold standard for hard work and dedication, he went to the store every day until shortly before his death. “A vital entrepreneur, he never stood still,” the family said.
“One of his highest values was respect for others,” they said. “He’d just as soon talk to the man off the street as with captains of industry and political leaders.
“His employees were figuratively and literally family. His customers, big or small, were treated equally.”
Mr. Weil championed American labor and mom and pop retailers.
“He knew the challenges faced by the independents long before big box retail decimated the retail landscape,” the family said. “He gave credit on trust, rarely was wrong, and never lost sleep helping others.”
More than 200 mourners attended the Aug. 17 memorial service at Temple Emanuel, including Mayor John Hickenlooper, City Auditor Dennis Gallagher and several members of the Denver City Council.
Rabbi Foster spoke of Mr. Weil’s remarkable skills as a raconteur.
At his 105th birthday party, the rabbi recalled, Mr. Weil sat in a corner and told “a story to just about everyone who came up to talk with him.”
Although many of the stories may have been told more than once, Rabbi Foster added, “it wasn’t so much the story as much as he wanted people to know that he cared for them.”
Mr. Weil’s daughter Jane Romberg, speaking to the Intermountain Jewish News this week, remembered here father not as the celebrity he had become in recent years, but simply as “Papa.”
“To us, he’s not the ‘Papa Jack’ the media has made him out to be. As my granddaughter said, he was a sweet and simple man who wanted to be with his family and preserve the traditions of the West. His children and grandchildren all had unique and wonderful relationships with him.
“We all learned from him. Some of the lessons he gave us were lessons in business, some were lessons in values, some were lessons in Jewish values. He believed absolutely in the Golden Rule and taught that to his children and his grandchildren. That’s our Jack Weil.”
Although Mr. Weil “loved” all the national attention he received, especially after his 100th birthday, Mrs. Romberg said, “that doesn’t take into account the first 100 years,” during which he lived as a man devoted to his family, his religion, his community and his country.
Calling Mr. Weil “a kind of universal grandfather,” his grandson Steve Weil said that he never allowed his fame to cloud his sense of humor. He was fond of the old joke about reading the obituary columns to see if his own name appeared there.
“He went from a family patriarch,” Steve Weil said, “to a cultural phenomenon.”
Loving eulogies were also given by Mr. Weil’s other grandchildren, Janet Pollack, Judy Oksner, Gail Sigman and Greg Romberg.
Mr. Weil was born March 28, 1901, to Abraham and Sarah Steinhauser Weil, in Evansville, Ind., where his father immigrated to avoid being impressed into the Prussian army during the Franco-Prussian War.
He attended public school in Evansville, was confirmed at the Washington Avenue Temple in 1914 and was one of the first Boy Scouts in the US.
During WW I, he worked after school at DS Bernstein Overall Factory and learned apparel manufacturing.
While traveling for a Chicago firm, Mr. Weil met Beatrice Baum of Humboldt, Tenn. at a Phi Tau Pi social conclave in Memphis. They married in 1926.
In 1928, the A. Stein Company sent Mr. Weil to open a branch office in Denver. Jack and Bea drove a Chrysler roadster across country to begin their new life out West.
At A. Stein, he sold garters and suspenders over a territory sprawling from El Paso to Canada. In this role, he put up a “new-fangled” neon sign in downtown Denver that flashed “Paris Garters.” A picture that shows this sign hangs today in Zaidy’s Deli in Denver.
Mr. Weil worked with Phillip Miller at what later became Miller Stockman, another celebrated brand of Western clothes, from 1935-1945.
In 1946, he founded his own business, Rockmount Ranch Wear, on Wazee Street in lower downtown.
Mr. Weil is credited with developing the Western shirt that quickly mushroomed into a major fashion trend. Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Robert Redford, Heath Ledger, Eric Clapton and numerous other celebrities clamored for Mr. Weil’s creations.
His son Jack B. Weil worked at Rockmount for 54 years; Steve Weil, his grandson, is the current president of the company.
Mr. Weil’s trademark slogan — “The West is not a place; it’s a state of mind” — was only one example of his witty banter and deadpan humor, which are the stuff of local legend.
When former Mayor Wellington Webb stopped by Rockmount one day, he asked Mr. Weil whether he still played gin rummy with his “cronies.”
Mr. Weil asked the mayor if he had a shovel.
“Why a shovel?” the mayor asked.
“So we can go dig ‘em up.”
Mr. Weil has been honored by national and local dignitaries and had streets named in his honor.
What mattered most to him most was his family.
“He taught us integrity and responsibility, the strength to deal with life’s challenges, the beauty of carefully chosen words in difficult situations, and the power of storytelling and example in conveying values,” they said. “His sage wisdom made us the better for it.”
Mr. Weil, who was honored by many industry associations,. was active in the Denver Jewish community, holding membership in B’nai Brith and helping sponsor several immigrants during WW II.
Jack and Bea joined Temple Emanuel in 1928, where he later served as a board member.
He was a founder and served as president of Temple Micah, and was a longtime supporter of Rose Hospital, National Jewish Hospital, JCRS and others.
Fondly remembered as “Mr. Town Club,” Mr. Weil was one of the club’s founders, served as its president, house manager and in other key roles.
Mrs. Weil passed away in 1990.
Their son, Jack B. Weil, passed away in January of this year.
Mr. Weil is survived by his daughter Jane (George) Romberg of Steamboat Springs; grandchildren Steve (Wendy) Weil, Greg (Laurie) Romberg, Judy (Jerry) Oksner, Gail Sigman, Janet (Larry) Pollack; and great-grandchildren Emily and Julia Sigman, Alex, Erica and Rebekah Romberg, David and Ali Oksner, Rachel and Ben Pollack and Colter Weil.
Contributions may be made to the ADL , the American Red Cross in Denver or the charity of choice.
