William W. Weissman, a former publishing consultant, died April 2, 2012 of pneumonia. He was 93.
Weissman, who was born March 16, 1919, was a native of the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Weissman was a World War II veteran who received two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for his service. Marcus Erik Gold’e, Weissman’s partner of 35 years, said Weissman was well-liked and known everywhere the two went — from Atlantic City to New Hope. “Everybody knew him, he was always out with me. He was quite recognizable,” Gold’e said. “He was very sociable. He was a character and came up with the craziest things and everybody just laughed and laughed. He was entertaining.” The two met at the former gay nightclub Maxine’s, now Tavern on Camac, more than 30 years ago when Gold’e was performing. “I was singing one night at Maxine’s years ago and he happened to walk in and he said he was taken with me and followed me around everywhere. He would follow me around in various bars, it was rather charming,” Gold’e said. Gold’e, who was 18 at the time, said Weissman, 57 at the time, won him over the minute they met. However, it was when Weissman became older, Gold’e said that the two became even closer. “Everybody everywhere knew us and they saw that I would help him and make sure he was clean, that he ate, and everybody was amazed that I was taking such good care of him. At that point, we were together for so many years, it felt like the natural thing to do,” he said. Weissman worked as a publishing consultant for an agency that dealt with Curtis Publishing Company. “It was an old-fashioned, interesting job and he was well-read because of it,” Gold’e said. Gold’e said Weissman, who loved calligraphy, reading and traveling, was known for his impressive intellect and his large heart. “He was kind and he was generous. He was intelligent and sharp, and he was my greatest champion. No matter what mistakes I made, he was always there to back me up,” Gold’e said. “It was unconditional love, which is almost impossible to find anymore. He made my life very happy.”