obituaries
Entrepreneur, Shark
Expert Paul Weintraub
Dies at 86
BY HEATHER M. ROSS | STAFF WRITER
E ntrepreneur and shark expert
Paul Weintraub died on May 1 at
VITAS Inpatient Hospice Unit in
Delray Beach, Florida. He was 86.

Weintraub owned and co-founded
Martin’s Aquarium in Jenkintown. He
also founded and maintained several
successful businesses such as a bike shop,
kerosene heaters and a cactus business.

He and his brother, Robert, who died in
2014, also were two of the four partners at
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Martin’s Aquarium began in
the basement of the Weintraub
brothers’ childhood home. Th e
business went from being a small
operation to a fi sh and reptile
Paul Weintraub
store and eventually to the aquar-
Photos courtesy of Greg Pitkoff and the Weintraub family
ium it is today.

Weintraub was born in
Philadelphia on Dec. 29, 1935, to Martin
Ross Weintraub believes the interest in
and Rose Weintraub. He was bar mitz- people was inspired by his grandmother,
vahed at the Germantown Jewish Centre Rose Weintraub.

and was a founding member of Temple
“My grandmother was a very warm
Sinai in Dresher. He later attended Old person as well, for everyone in the family,
York Road Temple-Beth Am in Abington. who was part of my dad’s generation and
Weintraub graduated from Temple older, she was the heart of the family. [My
University and was a member of Class father] passed away on the same day she
200 at Central High School.

did, 51 years apart,” Ross Weintraub said.

Weintraub met his wife, Marilyn, at
Paul Weintraub’s curiosity was a family
a Jewish singles weekend at Tamiment trait, shared by his father and brother, as
Resort in the Poconos. She was from well as his children. He was interested in
Brooklyn, and he was from Philadelphia, fi sh, fossils and science. Ross Weintraub
but Paul Weintraub was determined credits his father with inspiring his deci-
to see her again. To court her, he fol- sion to become a science teacher.

lowed her back to New York and slept on
“One time, he made me hold a snake,
friend’s couches while they got to know and I had never been so scared in my
each other. Th e couple married on Oct. life,” Ross Weintraub said.

22, 1960, at the Brooklyn Jewish Center.

Paul Weintraub had a unique way of
According to his son, Ross Weintraub, sharing his love of science with his fam-
what made his father most memorable ily. When his children were growing up,
was how he treated people.

he oft en took them on fossil-hunting
“He had a real interest in people. When trips as far away as Utah and Wyoming.

I was young, a teenager, I was watching When Ross Weintraub was 8, they found
him work once, and [I noticed] he had a starfi sh, which was sent to England to
a stack of index cards, and when he be identifi ed. Th is was evidence for the
would talk to people he would take notes continental drift theory since the starfi sh
on what they were interested in,” Ross fossil was highly unusual for the area.

Th e memories from those trips live on
Weintraub said.

“Th e store was a great place to work in his children. Ross Weintraub uses pho-
because of how he treated us. He edu- tos of the fossils found in teaching.

Paul Weintraub also made a repu-
cated us about the diff erent animals and
tation for himself on television, with
taught us how to treat the customers,”
appearances on local programs such
said Steven Weston, who began working
as “Captain
Noah” and “Th e Gene
at the fi sh store in 1970, when he was 13.

London Show,”
as well as the nationally
He worked there for 16 years.

syndicated “Th
e Mike Douglas Show.”
Weston shared a story from when he
Weintraub is survived by his wife,
worked with Paul Weintraub about a
time when a homeless man was caught Marilyn; his children, Ross (Shawn),
trying to steal something from the Daniel (Beth) and Alan Weintraub;
store. Instead of calling the police, Paul and four grandchildren. JE
Weintraub and the other partners agreed
hross@midatlanticmedia.com to give the man a job.