The Quad Cities mental health field has lost a quiet giant, as Transitions Mental Health CEO Gary Weinstein died on Wednesday, May 18 at age 65.
“t is with the heaviest of hearts that we share that our beloved CEO, Gary Weinstein, has passed away. For those who knew Gary, he was the embodiment of our agency’s tagline, ‘Where Action and Compassion Meet,’” Transitions posted Thursday on Facebook.
“Gary put his whole heart into the field of social work, showing tremendous leadership and dedication to Transitions over the last 37 years. He’s been the kindest leader, the most compassionate social worker, and truly one of the humblest human beings. Gary’s lasting impact will forever be a part of Transitions and in the hearts of those who knew him.”
Weinstein, 65, of Davenport, passed away Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at home surrounded by his loving family. Visitation will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, May 22 at Weerts Funeral Home in Davenport. Funeral Services will follow at 1 p.m. the same day, also at the Weerts Funeral Home.
Memorials may be directed to Transitions Mental Health. Online condolences may be expressed at www.weertsfh.com.
Gary was born Feb. 2, 1957 to Darrel and Jane (Resnick) Weinstein in Davenport. He graduated from Bettendorf High School, class of 1975, and went on to earn his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Iowa. On Aug. 31, 1990, he was united in marriage to Janelle Mass in Davenport. Together, they had three children, Ben, Dana, and Jeremy.
Weinstein’s work throughout his life had a profound effect on mental health care in the QC area, according to his obituary. In addition to working as CEO of Transitions Mental Health Services, he served as the President of the River Valley Mental Health Coalition from 1996-1998 and as a past president for NAMI of Illinois.
He was instrumental in the creation of the Quad Cities Open Network, a community hub and resource for connecting QC residents to social and healthcare services and active in creating bidirectional mental health and pediatric care coordination for Rock Island County children and teens with the collaboration of the Schoolhealth Link Clinics.
Weinstein was a committee member of the Mercer County Mental Health Coalition, the QC Advisory Committee for the University of Iowa, the QC Behavioral Health Coalition, and on the board for the Illinois Partners for Human Services. He was a longtime member of Temple Emanuel and also taught master’s level classes as an adjunct professor for St. Ambrose University.
Regina Haddock posted on Facebook that too few people truly knew Weinstein.
“Because Gary didn’t command a room, he observed it. He didn’t seek the spotlight, but a light shone from within. He didn’t steer the conversation, he nurtured it. There are just simply too few men in the world like Gary and our loss is all the more profound.”
