Jeff Weiss, a true mensch

Jeff Weiss, a friend and colleague from my days at The Dallas Morning News, died today, felled too young after a courageous and very public battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive and almost always fatal form of brain cancer.

Jeff knew his chances and didn’t shy away from the inevitability of what he called “the egress.” He desired only to live a quality life for as long as he could and then to exit with grace and dignity. By all accounts, he succeeded in that.

A journalist to the end, he wrote extensively and eloquently about his disease and his reactions to it. His work, published in the DMN and elsewhere, served as inspiration, comfort and support for others with glioblastoma and their caretakers.

To those who knew him, Jeff’s insistence on recording the process of his cancer fight – and the straightforward, understated and even humorous way in which he addressed it – was typical Weiss. He was a true professional, a storyteller, crafting well-researched, skillfully written articles that kept emotion at bay, but nevertheless were heartbreaking to read.

Simply put, Jeff Weiss was a mensch.

It’s a term I think he would appreciate. Mensch is a Yiddish word that means “a good person,” someone imbued with the qualities of decency, empathy, compassion, strong character, integrity and honor. Yes, Jeff was a mensch, but he also was a quirky eccentric, an American original who followed his own drummer and traveled his own path.

His curiosity was deep and expansive. During his newspaper career, he covered a stunning array of topics – politics, religion, education, energy, bringing to each an exhaustive amount of energy, imagination and creativity. He prided himself on being able to make any subject interesting – and understandable. He succeeded more times that he failed.

And when he did fall short of his own expectations, he didn’t let that eat at him. He squared his shoulders and surged ahead, ready for the next challenge, the next story, the next deadline.

Jeff and I were not close friends. We worked in the same newsroom together for many years, went to lunch occasionally and for a brief time, I edited his stories. He was both a joy to work with and a royal pain in the ass, sometimes simultaneously. The same can be said for most good reporters. And for most good people, too.

I followed his progress on Facebook and through his DMN stories. Like many of his work friends today, I wish I had taken the time to visit him in his final months. I suppose such regrets are common on days like this.

Across the country today, newspaper men and women are hard at work, laboring under deadline to bring understanding and illumination to their readers. Jeff spent his life doing that, including his last few precious months.

So I pay honor to Jeff Weiss, newspaperman, and to the beleaguered and maligned profession he loved and served so well. May you enjoy fair winds and following seas for whatever comes next.