Nestor R. Weigand, Jr.

Nestor R. Weigand, Jr., 84, passed away peacefully alongside family on November 1, 2023. He was diagnosed in January with late-stage metastatic melanoma and survived far longer than the most optimistic expectations. All services will be held in Wichita as follows:

Sunday, Nov 19:

3:00pm – 7:00pm: Wake and Reception for friends and family at the Cozine Life Events Center, 11500 E 21st Street N. Guests may arrive at their leisure.

Monday, Nov 20:

9:30/10:00am: Rosary (9:30am) and Funeral Mass (10:00am), open to the public, at the Church of the Magdalen, 12626 E 21st Street N

Immediately Following: Reception & Lunch for friends and family

Nestor was born the day after New Years in 1939 to parents Margaret Cain Weigand of Nashville, TN and Nestor Weigand, Sr. of Wichita. He was the youngest of four children and was preceded in death by his three siblings he held very close throughout his life: Joan W. Sargent (1930 – 2023), Michael C. Weigand (1933 – 2014) and Kaye W. Greenleaf (1934 – 2018). After attending Catholic grade schools in Wichita, then St. Thomas Academy (MN) and graduating from the University of Notre Dame (B.B.A. Finance) in 1960, Nestor served in the Army Reserves and joined the family real estate business, J.P. Weigand & Sons in 1961. He noted that his net worth at that time was “$625 and a 1951 Packard.” He often reflected that any success he had was due largely to that car (which was a gift from his mother, Margaret) not breaking down during his first year of work.

More than twenty years later, in 1983, he became President & CEO of the company that constituted his life’s work. Over the next 40 years, he proceeded to build one of the most respected businesses in the state of Kansas and his devotion to the people within it was unrivaled. His colleagues shared that he rarely missed the opportunity to call each of them on their birthdays and congratulate them on closings. He worked tirelessly and noted that his greatest strength was nothing innate to him, but rather the ability to “surround myself with people of integrity who are all better and smarter than me.”

Nestor was deeply committed to his real estate profession, and he was elected president of the Kansas Association of Realtors in 1978. Ten years later, he became President of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), where he met often with Ronald Reagan and helped to strengthen fair housing laws across the US. Many of his closest friends outside Wichita were formed through his commitment to NAR over many decades. In 2001, he was nominated as World President of the International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI.

Nestor traveled the world but was especially proud to call Wichita home, telling people everywhere that it was the best city in which one could live, had the most wonderful people, and also had the world’s best hamburger (at his very favorite, Ty’s Diner). His board seats and contributions to the Wichita community are almost too many to list, but there was none that he was more passionate about than being the Chairman of Wesley Hospital, a board on which he served for more than 40 years, until 2022.

In 1990, with no prior political experience, he ran for Governor of Kansas, and narrowly lost to the incumbent after just a 2½ month campaign that was called “the 77-day miracle.” He never sought public office again but loved to talk politics and fell asleep most nights with the news on his bedroom TV.

Nestor was a devoted father, devout Catholic, friend to everyone and a consummate gentleman who was rarely seen without a suit and tie. Beloved for his joyful nature, lightning-quick wit, humility, and unyielding generosity, he had an incredible way of making everyone – whether a family member or a taxi driver – feel seen and special. He loved telling stories but loved hearing them and asking questions even more. His laughs were loud, and his sayings were infectious. To him, strength was relative to “40 acres of garlic”; speed to “Grant through Richmond”; and on most anything else in life he asked for ratings on “a scale of 1 to 10.”

He was an expert backgammon player, a voracious reader and an avid (but woeful) golfer. And though he spilled more of it than he drank by waving his hands during spirited stories, he loved his red wine alongside friends and family. In his honor, we welcome friends to join us in celebrating his life and raising a glass to him on November 19th and 20th in Wichita.

Nestor is survived by his three sons, Nes (Laura), Stephen, and Johnathan; his former spouse and dear friend, Luann; his four grandchildren, J.R., Vivien, Theo and Nathaniel; and 10 nieces and nephews he loved dearly alongside his brother and sisters.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that donations be considered in his honor to the following causes: ·

Home Care & Hospice of the Valley  (who cared for Nestor in his final months)

823 Grand Avenue, Suite 300

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

Click to Donate Online

Empowered (a Wichita-based non-profit focused on education)

4111 E. 37th St. N., Suite D-101

Wichita, KS 67220

Click to Donate Online

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (his local parish in Wichita)

1321 N. Stratford Ln.

Wichita, KS 67206

Click to Donate Online