Brother Joshua Weiss, affectionately known as Bro, Brother, or Brother Josh, made sure everyone he met knew that he cared.
Originally from the Netherlands, the young teacher immigrated to Canada. Shortly after, he was hired at St. Monica School in downtown Calgary, where he’d go on to teach for 30 years. Coworker Sandra O’Flaherty says he demonstrated his Catholic faith daily by showing compassion to those around him.
“He always got to know everyone’s story, whether it was a student, a colleague or a parent, he took the time to really listen,” O’Flaherty says.
Died on April 2, 2020
The Netherlands
Age 83
Brother Joshua was generous with his material possessions. When a staff member mistakenly wore his shoes for a week, Brother Joshua silently watched and wore another pair of shoes. And he was generous with his time as well, coaching student sports teams and singing in the staff choir.
Brother Joshua was a member of the Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes, a global Catholic group dedicated to youth education. Education was his life’s work and when he retired, the school hosted a concert for him and every class from kindergarten to Grade 9 performed. Brother Joshua also volunteered each year by helping deliver Christmas hampers to people in need.
Longtime friend Monique Lahey-Byrne remembers him saying, ‘every person deserves to enjoy a little bit of Christmas.’
“He didn’t judge people,” Lahey-Byrne says. “He just loved them.”
This story was first published in MacLean’s as part of a collaborative project with Canadian journalism schools to document the lives of people who have died from COVID-19. To learn more about the project and to read the other obituaries, click here.