William Wiesenfeld picked up strays wherever he went, his sister said.
As a child, he would bring home rabbits, said Karen Aloisio of Jefferson Hills.
“When he was a policeman, he would do the same thing — whether they be animals or people,” she said.
William J. Wiesenfeld III of Jefferson Hills died of cancer in his home on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. He was 67.
A former Pittsburgh police officer, Mr. Wiesenfeld was a hardworking man of faith who enjoyed taking care of others, his family said.
He was born June 9, 1946, in Chicago. When he was a boy, his family moved to the Pittsburgh area, said Elizabeth “Betsy” Wiesenfeld, his wife of 27 years.
In 1964, he graduated from St. Wendelin High School in Carrick.
Mr. Wiesenfeld was in the Army from 1964 to 1968 and then served as a city officer from 1969 to 1991.
“Bill was very hardworking. (He had a) very determined personality, very strong personality,” his wife said.
Mr. Wiesenfeld owned a contracting company, Gateway Homes Inc., which bought homes in disrepair in Pittsburgh and the South Hills, repaired them, and then sold or rented them, his wife said.
In his younger years, he enjoyed fishing and hunting with his sons, she said. He was a fan of the Steelers.
Mr. Wiesenfeld was a member of St. Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Jefferson Hills.
In addition to his wife and sister, he is survived by his children, Ronald Wiesenfeld of Leander, Texas; Shelley Brough of Red Rock, Texas; William Wiesenfeld IV of South Park; Michael Wiesenfeld of Glassport; and Kathleen Wiesenfeld of Jefferson Hills; mother, Jean Wiesenfeld D'Alessandro of Bridgeville; sister, Deborah Cunningham of Scott; ex-wife, Patsy Arms McWhorter of Buchanan Dam, Texas; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Mr. Wiesenfeld was preceded in death by his father, William J. Wiesenfeld II.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the John F. Slater Funeral Home Inc., 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood. A funeral prayer will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Thomas à Becket Church.
Tory N. Parrish is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-5662 or tparrish@tribweb.com.
