Roy Weinman memorialized in Bellmore

In the wake of Roy Weinman’s July 11 death, a number of members of the Bellmore community called the Herald to share memories and talk about their relationship with the man whose story ran parallel to that of community.

Weinman died at 92 of congestive heart and kidney failure brought on by his diabetes. The Town of Hempstead dedicated a section of Bedford Avenue, where his business operated, in his memory, naming it Roy Weinman Avenue.

“He was the kindest, most gentle person you’d ever meet,” said Debra Izzo, the former president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores and a close friend of Weinman’s. “If you ever went into the hardware store and you were looking for something, he’d have it.”

Izzo initially approached Legislator Steve Rhoads (R, D-19) and Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney with the idea to honor Weinman’s memory by renaming the portion of the street. At the Bellmore Family Street Festival, the three were joined by his wife, Myrna, and his friends and colleagues to place the new street sign at the corner of Bedford and Petit Avenues.

“I believe that the Weinman family deserves to be recognized forever,” Izzo said.

Weinman managed Weinman’s Hardware from the late 1950s until it closed its doors on Sept. 15, 2014. He was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores and the Bellmore Lions Club and started the later organization’s flea market. The bi-weekly fundraising event will now be run by its new ambassador, Rich Rolando, a friend of Weinman’s and a fellow club member.

“Not too many people could live a life that they really want to live,” Rolando said of his friend. “But Roy did that.”

Weinman has also been honored by Nassau County, which has recognized Sept. 15, the day he closed the doors to his business in 2014, as Roy Weinman Day.