In 1971 he joined the San Francisco Chronicle where he became a beloved theater critic and a cherished fixture of San Francisco's arts community. His passion for finding and championing new works, emerging talent, and burgeoning theater companies led to San Francisco becoming a national theater hotspot, second only to New York.

In retirement he co-founded The Crisis Papers, a political blog he ran for sixteen years, inspiring and amplifying progressive voices and causes around the globe.

He served on the California Council for Arts, helped establish the Marin Playwrights Lab, penned poetry books, wrote and produced plays, and joined the Mill Valley Photo Forum, adding "photographer" to a very full resumé.

Those who knew Bernie best will tell you the artist and the critic were only part of the picture. At home he was warm, funny, and fully present: a devoted father and a steadfast husband whose humor was the connective tissue of family life. He loved to share jokes, often emailing giant compilations of his favorites to everyone he knew. He wanted people to laugh, and we're sure, in his passing, he'd want you to pull up your favorite joke and crack a smile.

He would have loved this obituary, but he'd have had some notes.

FULL OBIT: https://legacy.suntimes.com/us/obituaries/sfgate/name/bernard-weiner-obituary?id=60935616