Edmund Weihrauch
August 30, 1938 - December 24, 2022

EDMUND "ED" WEIHRAUCH: On December 24, 2022, Edmund “Ed” Weihrauch passed away peacefully in the presence of his family in Squirrel Hill. He was the beloved husband of Margarita Pelakh; caring father of Sabrina Weihrauch, and proud grandfather of Dane Jacomen. He was the son of Abraham and Sabina Weihrauch, born in Lvov Poland on August 30, 1938.

Ed was a child survivor of the Holocaust. At age 4, a year after his father was called up to the Soviet army, Ed and his mother were forced into the Lvov ghetto. A year later, they were the only members of his family to escape the ghetto. For the next 2 years, the two went deeper into hiding in Poland’s rural countryside. Months before the end of the war, Ed and Sabina were taken in by a group of Soviet partisans. Ultimately, they were separated from this group and taken to a forced-labor prisoner camp.

On the eve of the war’s conclusion in July 1944, they were allowed to escape the camp — at which point, Sabina took Ed to Prague, Czechoslovakia, and later, to Munich, Germany. At age 12, destitute but hopeful, Ed and his mother immigrated to the United States, sponsored by a great uncle. They eventually landed in Pittsburgh, living in Highland Park. Tragically, Sabina passed away 5 years later from cancer.

Shortly after his arrival in Pittsburgh, Ed became a Bar Mitzvah of the Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh. He continued his studies at Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a Bachelors of Science and Masters in English. Ed was an early pioneer in the computer industry, where he ultimately discovered his passion for teaching computer science as a professor.

While studying at University of Pittsburgh, Ed married Barbara (Cannon) Weihrauch; deceased 1996. Ed was married to Barbara for 29 years. Ed later married Mary (Ocskay) Weihrauch; deceased 2007. They enjoyed a common love of animals, having owned horses, cats, and dogs. Late in life, Ed married Margarita Pelakh. Their meeting at Pittsburgh’s Jewish Film Festival came at a time when Ed was embracing his Jewish heritage and opening “the doors of certain rooms in [his] mind [kept] tightly shut.”

Ed was a gifted teacher, not only in computer science, but in life. He loved the outdoors — hiking, mountain biking and most of all, walking his dogs in Frick Park. Ed was passionate about soccer, having been a member of the University of Pittsburgh’s Varsity Soccer team, and supporting his grandson’s love for the game.

The tragedies and hardships that Ed overcame as a child survivor did not define the man who he became later in life. He went on to live a rich life filled with joy, best captured in his own words imparted upon his young grandson:

“If there is a lesson I learned much later in life it's to strive to do the best you can, be aware of wonder — particularly in the everyday little things that we all take for granted — and be true to your self.”

Graveside Service and Interment will be held on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at 12 Noon at Homewood Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held at a later time.

Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. www.schugar.com

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