Volunteer of the Month: San Diego Humane Society’s Myrna Weitzman

By Mimi Pollack

SAN DIEGO — Mother’s Day is in May, so for this month, our volunteer is Myrna Weitzman, who is not only a helpful volunteer, but also Dr. Gary Weitzman’s mother. Dr. Weitzman is the president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society where his mother volunteers her time once a week.

Originally from Boston, Myrna Weitzman moved with her late husband to Boynton Beach, Florida after they retired, where they lived for 20 years. Before that, Ms. Weitzman had worked for Ken’s Salad Dressing as a buyer for 30 years. Married for 66 years, she and her husband met as college students at Brandeis University. She received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry.

When her husband’s health began to fail three years ago, they decided to move to San Diego to be closer to two of their three sons [Dr. Gary is the oldest]. They moved to La Vida Real in Rancho San Diego. Mr. Weitzman passed away a little over a year ago.

At 88, Myrna Weitzman is still full of energy with a zest for life. While her husband was alive, she devoted most of her time to taking care of him. Today, she enjoys many activities, including volunteering at the Humane Society once a week.  She greets people as they come in and directs them to where they need to go.

The Sunday I was there observing, I saw her help families that were looking to adopt a dog, a man who was sadly surrendering a cat, people who came for the free pet food, and even a young teenage girl who was there with her mom looking for a summer job. Weitzman also plays Mah Jong at Temple Emanu-El and Bridge with her many friends at La Vida Real.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and she told me that like her son, Dr. Gary, she has always loved animals. She relayed that they had a dog named Cocoa for 16 years. Cocoa had been thrown out of a car window by her owners at a rescue center which the Weitzmans were visiting. Gary and his brother Bruce were there with Myrna, and they all saw it happen. They immediately decided to take Cocoa and give her a forever home.

Today, Weitzman enjoys the company of her two grand dogs, Rosie and Millie.  She feels she is a little too old to start again with a pet of her own. She also has three grandchildren.

When I asked her what her greatest satisfaction in volunteering at the shelter was, she told me she liked reuniting people with their lost pets. I am sure Dr. Gary is just as proud of his mom as she is of him and all her sons.

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Mimi Pollack is a freelance writer based in La Mesa, California