William “Bill” V. Weithas Jr. of Little Silver and Jupiter, Florida, passed away peacefully Sept. 23 surrounded by his family. Bill was predeceased by his sister Audrey and his son William V. Weithas III. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary; his children Suzann Cahill (John), John Weithas (Lisa), Jeremy Minnetian (Matthew) and Claudia Mullett (Conor). He also leaves behind his 10 grandchildren: John (Lauren), William and James Cahill; Emma and Lila Weithas; Julia and Charles Minnetian; and Liam, Griffin and Mary Elizabeth Mullett; and his siblings, Marilyn Halverson, Adrienne dePaolo and Richard Weithas and their families.
Bill was born in Queens, New York to William and Margaret Beese Weithas. He was a graduate of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School (’47) where he played basketball, baseball and ran track, and Seton Hall University (’51). He later served on the Board of Regents at Seton Hall.
He started his career at the Nabisco Company as a “cookie salesman” and quickly moved onto the advertising world, working in the mailroom at BBD&O. He later worked at P. Ballantine & Sons and at SSC&B NY where he climbed the ranks to become chairman and CEO. There, he led the successful introduction of Diet Coke among many other brands. He later became chairman and CEO of Lintas Worldwide: New York City and London. Bill finished his career as vice chairman and director of Interpublic Group of Companies. He was a member of the New York State Governor’s Business Advisory and chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
Bill and Mary raised their family in Rumson. He was a member of Navesink Country Club and Jupiter Hills Country Club in Jupiter, Florida, where he served as club president. Bill and Mary spent many wonderful summers in Avalon watching their grandchildren grow up together. He leaves behind many friends from all walks of life. Bill will be fondly remembered for his motto “couldn’t be better.” His children feel incredibly lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful father and will honor him every day of their lives.
The Weithas family would like to sincerely thank Bill’s aide and friend Stella, as well as the staff at Brandywine at the Sycamore who lovingly cared for our father.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Sept. 29 at Church of the Nativity of Fair Haven. Burial followed at Mt. Olivet Cemetery of Middletown. In lieu of flowers, the family would kindly appreciate donations to Loughlin Connects at igfn.us/vf/Loughlinconnect, a fund providing iPads for students to support remote learning at Bill’s alma mater, Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York.
The article originally appeared in the October 1 – 8, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
