Obituary for Samuel Gerald Weisberg
Samuel G. Weisberg died on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 86 years old. He was a resident of Milford, NH, formerly of Dracut, MA. Born September 28, 1933, he was the son of Sadie (Goldman) Weisberg and Benjamin Weisberg.
Samuel attended Dracut schools and graduated from Dracut High School in 1950. He graduated from Boston University.
Samuel was employed at the Lowell Sun as a sports reporter for 60 years, starting in 1953 before fully retiring in 2013. He was a sports reporter and Sunday sports editor for about 40 years before becoming the Sun’s librarian. Sam specialized in covering high school football games in the local area and continued covering games well into his retirement. He was a renowned sports statistician for local football, baseball and basketball teams and originated lengthy local year end reviews for the Sun.
Sam covered hundreds of local high school football games: Lowell High, the great 1967 powerhouse, final years of Keith Academy, Mike Esposito’s Wilmington teams, many Dracut, Tyngsboro, Pelham, Greater Lowell Vocational and just about all other area schools to include semi pro Nor’easter games. Sam wrote a weekly sports column at the Sun called “The Lookout” and also a Sunday column on page three of the sports section.
His most memorable sports reporting was covering the world champion Boston Celtics during the Bill Russell – Bob Cousy “Golden Era” in the 1959-1960 years. Sam spent many fantastic nights in the Boston Garden press row, especially during the final rounds with the St. Louis Hawks and heated interviews in the Garden locker room. Also, memorable to Sam was his coverage of the nation’s number one college football team, the mighty undefeated Syracuse Orangemen’s 46-0 rout of Boston University on November 22, 1959.
Sam was also the auto racing editor at the Sun and wrote another weekly column “At the Wheel” for 17 years. He had numerous auto racing stories published in national racing papers and magazines. He was a member of several “Old Timers” racing clubs, was historian of the Dracut Speedway and a lifetime member of the Northeastern Midget Racing Association. He was a donator of the prestigious Johnny Thomson Memorial Trophy for 54 years and was the recipient of the first annual Jack Ratta Memorial Award for auto racing journalism, thus being inducted into to the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2005.
His hobbies included collecting auto racing and sports memorabilia, walking daily at the Dracut High School track as well as Dracut’s Veterans Memorial Park and later, on sidewalks and paths around the Milford, NH oval and Souhegan River trail. Samuel also enjoyed attending sporting events of his children and grandchildren.
Sammy” was a longtime baseball and softball player in Dracut Town Leagues, Greater Lowell Softball League and the Pawtucketville Social Club League. He was a co-founder and statistician for the Dracut Town Baseball League, original Dracut Softball League and the Lowell Sun softball team.
Sam was a published author of autobiographies of the late Dracut High Coach Ed Murphy and the late Lowell High football coach Ray Riddick. He helped edit the fantastic and well received book “Titus,” a biography of Lowell High football great Titus Plomaritis. Also, he wrote the chapter “History of Midget Auto Racing in New England,” which is featured in the book “A History of Auto Racing In New England.”
Sam was highly dedicated to his craft and support of local sports and auto racing and was elected to the Dracut High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 and was the recipient of many sports and auto racing awards.
Sam was the brother of the late Isadore Weisberg of Dunstable, MA; the late Jack Weisberg of Port Charlotte, FL and the late May (Weisberg) Stonner of Manchester, NH.
He is survived by his son, David Weisberg and wife Jessica of Mont Vernon, NH; daughter Stephanie Sgroi and husband Jeff of Raleigh, NC, a granddaughter, Alexis Weisberg and a grandson, Jaxon Weisberg as well as many nieces and nephews.
SERVICES: A graveside service will be held Thursday, December 19th, 2019 at the Montefiore Cemetery, 46 Pulpit Rock Rd Pelham, N.H., at 9 a.m. Friends and family are invited to attend. Those who wish to make a donation in Samuel's loving memory, may do so to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua as Sam was an avid rescuer of cats. The DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock St., Nashua has been placed in charge of arrangements. “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER”.
Samuel attended Dracut schools and graduated from Dracut High School in 1950. He graduated from Boston University.
Samuel was employed at the Lowell Sun as a sports reporter for 60 years, starting in 1953 before fully retiring in 2013. He was a sports reporter and Sunday sports editor for about 40 years before becoming the Sun’s librarian. Sam specialized in covering high school football games in the local area and continued covering games well into his retirement. He was a renowned sports statistician for local football, baseball and basketball teams and originated lengthy local year end reviews for the Sun.
Sam covered hundreds of local high school football games: Lowell High, the great 1967 powerhouse, final years of Keith Academy, Mike Esposito’s Wilmington teams, many Dracut, Tyngsboro, Pelham, Greater Lowell Vocational and just about all other area schools to include semi pro Nor’easter games. Sam wrote a weekly sports column at the Sun called “The Lookout” and also a Sunday column on page three of the sports section.
His most memorable sports reporting was covering the world champion Boston Celtics during the Bill Russell – Bob Cousy “Golden Era” in the 1959-1960 years. Sam spent many fantastic nights in the Boston Garden press row, especially during the final rounds with the St. Louis Hawks and heated interviews in the Garden locker room. Also, memorable to Sam was his coverage of the nation’s number one college football team, the mighty undefeated Syracuse Orangemen’s 46-0 rout of Boston University on November 22, 1959.
Sam was also the auto racing editor at the Sun and wrote another weekly column “At the Wheel” for 17 years. He had numerous auto racing stories published in national racing papers and magazines. He was a member of several “Old Timers” racing clubs, was historian of the Dracut Speedway and a lifetime member of the Northeastern Midget Racing Association. He was a donator of the prestigious Johnny Thomson Memorial Trophy for 54 years and was the recipient of the first annual Jack Ratta Memorial Award for auto racing journalism, thus being inducted into to the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2005.
His hobbies included collecting auto racing and sports memorabilia, walking daily at the Dracut High School track as well as Dracut’s Veterans Memorial Park and later, on sidewalks and paths around the Milford, NH oval and Souhegan River trail. Samuel also enjoyed attending sporting events of his children and grandchildren.
Sammy” was a longtime baseball and softball player in Dracut Town Leagues, Greater Lowell Softball League and the Pawtucketville Social Club League. He was a co-founder and statistician for the Dracut Town Baseball League, original Dracut Softball League and the Lowell Sun softball team.
Sam was a published author of autobiographies of the late Dracut High Coach Ed Murphy and the late Lowell High football coach Ray Riddick. He helped edit the fantastic and well received book “Titus,” a biography of Lowell High football great Titus Plomaritis. Also, he wrote the chapter “History of Midget Auto Racing in New England,” which is featured in the book “A History of Auto Racing In New England.”
Sam was highly dedicated to his craft and support of local sports and auto racing and was elected to the Dracut High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 and was the recipient of many sports and auto racing awards.
Sam was the brother of the late Isadore Weisberg of Dunstable, MA; the late Jack Weisberg of Port Charlotte, FL and the late May (Weisberg) Stonner of Manchester, NH.
He is survived by his son, David Weisberg and wife Jessica of Mont Vernon, NH; daughter Stephanie Sgroi and husband Jeff of Raleigh, NC, a granddaughter, Alexis Weisberg and a grandson, Jaxon Weisberg as well as many nieces and nephews.
SERVICES: A graveside service will be held Thursday, December 19th, 2019 at the Montefiore Cemetery, 46 Pulpit Rock Rd Pelham, N.H., at 9 a.m. Friends and family are invited to attend. Those who wish to make a donation in Samuel's loving memory, may do so to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua as Sam was an avid rescuer of cats. The DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock St., Nashua has been placed in charge of arrangements. “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER”.