Michael Weiland, age 86, living in the beautiful outskirts of Medford, Oregon, after a series of difficult illnesses, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2026, at 7:30 PM, at Highland House, Grants Pass, OR, USA, surrounded by his family.

Michael was born on December 13th, 1939, in Wernigerode, Germany, to Marie Louise Johanne Bielenberg, born Weiland, and Friedrich Wilhelm Hans Benke. His childhood, though, would prove far from ordinary.

Michael lived his young life, bathed in difficult experiences, including being transferred from one to the other orphanage, children’s homes, foster parents, all embedded in Hitler’s very dark and inhumane Germany. He was invited to live with his mother and half-sister when he was 15 years old.

Michael completed the equivalent of the U.S. 12-year education in Germany. This included primary school and trade school, focusing on retail store organizing and window display. He participated in an internship at Heick & Schmaltz, a premium fashion house in Lübeck, Germany. After his internship was successfully completed, Michael stayed on as an employee.

Sometime during 1955 to 1958, Michael migrated to the United States, with the caring support of several ministers from the Presbyterian Church in New York. Temporarily, Michael lived at church living quarters.

His overall tasks included dealing with culture shock, broadening his understanding of and speaking English, making friends, and getting on with life in “This New World – AMERICA.” Michael’s father allegedly lived in the United States. Finding him was also on Michael’s agenda, though that hope was never realized. We learned many years later, father lived and practiced medicine in Hawaii, only briefly on the mainland.

November 30th, 1959, Michael enlisted in the U.S. Army for a three-year term of duty. After induction and a short stay on an Army base in Texas, and with his primary language being German, he was stationed in Germany, where he served for 3 years in the Army’s Artillery. He did not see active combat.

On November 29th, 1962, his enlistment contract was completed. He returned to the United States, where he received his Honorable Discharge.

Michael established himself in a small apartment in Jamaica, N.Y. Since he first arrived in the U.S., and after he was discharged from the Army, he found employment in a variety of large retail stores, including Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and Saks 5th Avenue.

On May 7, 1963, Michael earned his Certificate of Naturalization as Citizen of The United States of America.

While his efforts to adapt and settle into this New World were in high gear, a new chapter of Michael’s life appeared on the horizon.

With the assistance of the pastors who helped Michael immigrate, and who also socialized with the priest and parish community of the Canarsie Catholic Church, Michael made friends. One friend was Edith Poulos, the aunt (by marriage) of Ellen Rapp. Ellen, age 21, in a miraculous move by the “Powers that BE,” had announced herself to Edith as needing support to find a love, a husband, with whom she would build a home, while supporting his growth. Hopefully, such person would support her growth as well.

Aunt Edith, in ten minutes’ time, returned Ellen’s call and request. She invited Ellen to a Saturday evening Canarsie church dance, where she would “meet someone special.”

On entering the Church Community Hall, Ellen was drawn to the left and forward. She stopped behind a young man, who was facing forward. Aunt Edith smiled and said, “This is Michael Weiland, the young man I want you to meet. He comes from Germany.”

(Ellen was also born in Germany and lived in Frankfurt a/Main. When Frankfurt was bombed, Ellen’s widowed mother moved herself and child to Krohnberg, in Taunus, where they lived until they sailed 13 days, in a hurricane, by passenger ship “The Neptunia,” arriving in NY on Columbus Day, October 12, 1951. In America, they were picked up at the dock by Ellie, the sister of Ellen’s mother, and her husband Jack. Ellie & Jack had married in Germany and come to America after the war ended. Jack was in the American Army.)

Moving on, having met at the Catholic Church Community Dance, Michael and Ellen smiled, danced rather awkwardly, and were inseparable until December 21, 1963, when they were married.

They set up housekeeping in Brooklyn, NY. Michael found lasting employment with Sears Roebuck & Co., where he was well appreciated, and often promoted. Many of these promotions required moving within or out of state.

As a result, the couple lived in New York-Brooklyn, Long Island-Central Islip, Sayville – New Jersey-New Brunswick – Upstate NY – Newburgh, Beacon, Wappingers Falls – Illinois-Oak Park, Naperville – Oregon-Ashland, and most recently Medford.

The couple’s only child, Stephen Michael, was born 12-14-1968 at Smithtown Hospital in Long Island. Michael enjoyed making things for Stephen. He carved the alphabet out of wood into 12" letters. Stephen played daily with them and was prompted to set them into words. He placed and read “OMA” before he was two years old. Mike had joy in creating a toy sports car, also out of wood, for Stephen, who took pleasure in helping build it. He began school in Wappingers Falls, finished High School in Oak Park, had plans to attend the University of Illinois, instead enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served for four years in the US, Okinawa and the mainland, earning his honorable discharge. He returned to Naperville to stay briefly with us, while orienting to “what’s next, and where?”

Stephen attended and graduated from Southern Oregon University with a double degree in Geography and Computer Science. He moved to Portland, met, fell in love and married Shannon Klingler. The couple has two grown sons, Samuel age 25 and Sean age 24. Stephen enjoys skiing, hiking, paddle boating, and loves nature. Shannon is at University working towards her Masters in Social Work.

Michael’s major interests, over the years, included “putzin’” with cars. He refurbished Porsches 911, 912, 914 and 356 models. Other hobbies included designing/decorating the couple’s many homes. When they purchased their last house, Michael designed and built a garden in the back yard, and adding to Ellen’s delight, numerous raised beds. We also enjoyed travel, experienced most of the 51 US states, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, and a no longer at war Germany. Ellen additionally experienced Egypt, the Sinai, Israel, Java and Bali.

Over the couple’s 62 plus years together, they enjoyed one another. They did have occasional differences, and rare challenges, which they learned to conquer. Michael suffered with health issues along the way, which the couple with Medical professionals, could not solve, and which, in the end, drained him of his energy and took his life.

Survivors of the immediate family include Stephen and Shannon, with their sons Sam age 25 and Sean age 24, Shannon’s father, Lee, and stepmother Jo Zettler; sisters and brothers are an active part in their life. Survivors of the family also include Kenneth with 5 grown children, and Francine with Donna, two daughters, and two granddaughters, all living on the east coast of the US.

Michael’s cousins Uwe with wife Annette and her grown children, as well as Kurt with former wife Sabine and grown children, and Doris with husband and children, are all living in Germany.

Michael was predeceased by his absent father, mother, half-sister, mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Michael and I, after lengthy discussion, agreed on being cremated, and that the survivor would choose the disposition of all our ashes.

In the Memory of Michael,

We invite each of you to love all those you can, with all your heart, as long as you are able, while they are still alive. Once ‘they’ have passed, send them your love forever more, from heart to heart, Across the dimensions, Send Love, Always Send Love!

My Dear Michael,

You are all I ever hoped for, the only husband I ever wanted, The father of our son, The father-in-law of our son’s wife. The grandfather of our grandchildren. The joy of my life.

With some hot pepper spice, we lasted beyond troublesome hiccups. I will always be grateful that I was able to hug and kiss you on your journey. Please, always remember…

SEEK THE LIGHT! SEARCH FOR THE LARGE WILLOW TREE WITH THE HAMMOCK FOR TWO! NEVER FORGET ME.

“I am your LADY, and YOU are my MAN”