Former Milpitas Mayor Denny Weisgerber (birth name: William D.) passed away today at the hospital after a recent bout of pneumonia. Though he’d been given the all-clear to return home and recover weeks ago, last week he ended up feeling unwell and returning to the hospital. He was 89 years old.
Weisgerber was born in Bend, Oregon, on May 5, 1930. He was predeceased by his wife, Marianne Weisgerber, in 2017. The pair married in February, 1949, the same month Denny enlisted in the Marines.
Weisgerber would serve in Korea as an assistant platoon sergeant, where he saw major combat and sustained severe injuries. For his valor, he was awarded the Navy Cross.
Weisgerber was also a recipient of the National Defense Medal, Purple Heart, United Nations Korea Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Korean Campaign Medal (two stars), Combat Action Ribbon, and Presidential Unit Citation.
He was also a two-time Milpitas Rotary Club President, and most famously, a three-time Milpitas Mayor during a 12-year City Council run from the 1960s into the early 70s.
Weisgerber graduated with a BA in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. He and Marianne had two children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
