Robert H. Wiegand

Robert H. Wiegand, Sr. (September 25, 1938 – May 22, 2026)

Robert, known as Bob by his friends and family, was born on September 25, 1938 in Buffalo, NY to Harvey and Marion (Rinow) Wiegand. He was a loving husband, a devoted father, and a remarkable man who touched the lives of everyone around him.

Bob grew up in Cheektowaga. He attended the Cleveland Hill School District, graduating from high school in 1957. He then went on to receive an Education in Industrial Arts Degree from Buffalo State College in 1961, followed by a Master’s Degree in Education in 1963. He was also an active member of the Delta Kappa Alpha Chapter, whose motto was “True leadership is possible only through honorable and upright living.” This motto became a guiding principle throughout Bob’s life.

After graduation, he began his education career teaching 3rd grade at the Losson Road Elementary School in Cheektowaga. He transferred to the Frontier Central School District in 1964, landing a position on the staff at Amsdell Middle School, where he taught math and science. He eventually found his niche in teaching 7th grade math. He did that for 31 years, retiring in June 1997.

Bob also believed in serving your country, joining the United States Air Force in February 1963 and was stationed for basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. In August 1963, he was transferred to the Air National Guard in Niagara Falls, NY. He served as a sergeant for five years, nearly activated to Korea in 1968. It was the birth of his second daughter that delayed his activation. He was honorably discharged from the Air National Guard of New York in August 1968 and was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force in February 1969.

Bob married his wife, Mary Ellen Witt in 1964. He became a proud father of five children, four girls (Debbie, Cheryl, Patti and Jodi) and one boy (Robert Jr.). He also loved animals. As a result, many dogs, especially golden retrievers, and cats were a part of the family. He especially loved spending time with his family in their summer home, which he designed and built, in the Adirondack State Park. It was a place near and dear to his heart, where he spent most of his summer vacations. His eight grandchildren, Brianna, Ryan, Maggie, Ashley, Madison, Ian, Zach, and Robert III, looked forward to spending time with their Papa during holidays and the summers.

Bob’s wife and four daughters participated in the sport of artistic (formerly known as synchronized) swimming. So, of course, he became an active participant as well. He began as an avid cheerleader, but he soon became a competition organizer and announcer. Due to his strong background in math, he eventually helped to run the scoring program at local competitions. He soon became the head scoring chair for the Empire State Games and the Eastern United States. Bob went on to become the head scoring chair of many USA national and international championships, as well. These roles earned him several artistic swimming awards, including his induction in 2017 into the Hall of Fame as a Contributor to the growth of United States Artistic Swimming.

Robert Wiegand was not financially well off, but he was absolutely someone who gave so much during his lifetime to USA Artistic Swimming.

When he met his wife, Mary Ellen, who was a “synchronized” swimmer for the Buffalo Swimkins, he marveled at the sport. After their marriage, he soon became quietly involved in the background in so many ways. In the 1960s and 70s, he helped drive Swimkins athletes to nearly every competition. Whenever someone was needed to volunteer and help out at a meet, Bob was there. Whenever a Swimkins athlete was struggling financially, he often donated money that could be used towards her assessment, entry fees, or transportation to meets. He continued to do that throughout his life because he knew how important artistic swimming was as a sport; after all, he had firsthand knowledge of how it shaped his daughters, Debbie, Cheryl, Patti and Jodi, into the strong women they are today.

As each of his girls joined Swimkins, Bob was at every meet to cheer them on and support them in any way he could. When he wasn’t cheering, he took on the role of announcer. Once all four of his daughters were involved with Swimkins, Bob saw that his knowledge of math and computers could be put to use, and he moved into the scoring room. He soon took charge of scoring every meet the Buffalo Swimkins hosted. He soon went on to become the scoring chair for the Empire State Games. Eventually, in 1997, he was named the East Zone scoring chairman, going to every East Zone and national meet he could for more than 16 years, never asking for or receiving reimbursement. He established an “open door policy,” which meant anyone, especially athletes, was invited and welcomed to come in with questions or concerns. Bob constantly promoted the importance of maintaining a fair scoring system and even gave up his free time to teach and encourage other parents to be a part of the “Scoring Team” too. Long after each of his daughters retired from artistic swimming, he remained involved so that he could watch and support his granddaughters, Brianna and Ashley Latchford, as they continued the Wiegand legacy in the sport. He eventually became a Life Member of USAS. It was just one more way to further support the sport his wife, daughters, and granddaughters loved so much.

Robert Wiegand was so much more than a dad or grandfather at a swim meet. He was not only a cheerleader, who supported his “synchro” swimming daughters and grandchildren emotionally as well as financially, but he was also the cheerleader for all artistic swimmers because he never forgot that he was in the sport for the athletes, and he wanted to help promote it in any way that he could.

A celebration of Robert H. Wiegand will be held on May 30 at 11:00 am at Dietrich Funeral Home on Kensington Avenue.