Holding on for Dear Life

Editor's Note: Shortly after the newsletter was mailed, we heard from the Weidemeyers the sad news that their daughter Anne died on May 18 in Naples, Fla. Family and friends from all over the country came to pay her tribute. “She tried to enjoy and share life to the fullest, no matter how bad she was feeling,” observed her mother. We present the family’s story here in Anne’s memory.

Growing up, John Weidemeyer seldom glanced at a clock. “We just did the work till we were through,” recalls the 88-year-old retired businessman, “during an era when you didn’t have a dime in your pocket.” Last year, Weidemeyer (pronounced WIDE-i-myer) finally sold the Baltimore lumber and hardware supply business his father started in 1921. Weidemeyer and his wife Eleanor—who worked side by side

John and Eleanor Weidemeyer find solace in their daughter Anne’s courage and resilience.

for 66 years—then moved to Florida’s west coast.

Their years of diligence paid off. Profits from the sale of their business and home left ample funds for charitable contributions. Among their top goals: to support ALS research. After making a bequest to a Tampa ALS foundation, the couple donated more than $200,000 to the Packard Center in honor of their oldest daughter, Anne Papadopoulos, diagnosed with ALS in 2002.

In classic ALS fashion, Anne’s initial symptom was a mysterious limp in her left leg. The weakness spread to her entire left side and eventually robbed her of mobility. Husband Chris Papadopoulos, former chief of cardiology at Baltimore’s Harbor Hospital, took her to several specialists. All confirmed the ALS diagnosis.

Previous ties to Johns Hopkins led the family to the Packard Center. They were especially impressed with the Center’s collaborative approach to finding a cure. Of course, the Weidemeyers hope their donation will advance ALS research, but even if a cure doesn’t come soon enough for their daughter, they’re comforted that their support could help others.

A gardening enthusiast, gifted chef and homemaker, Anne, 64, now uses an electric wheelchair—a gift from her parents. She communicates by typing with one finger on her right hand.

Like her parents, Anne is steadfastly religious. She delights in visits from them, her two sisters and their families. But road trips are becoming more taxing for the
senior Weidemeyers—they live four hours away from Anne and Chris—so they call and write Anne often. The jokes they forward lift her spirits, as do their hopeful words—a mantra that has sustained them throughout the years: “Just hold on, have faith and do the best you can.”

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