Apartment entrepreneur Dean Weidner’s profound positive impact on our valley
In the last few years of his life, Dean Weidner, the founder of Weidner Apartment Homes, donated a jaw-dropping $15.2 million to secure the future for two of North Central Washington’s critical nonprofits — the Wenatchee YMCA and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Another $2.5 million challenge grant that Weidner recently authorized to help finish the museum’s capital campaign could bring Weidner’s impact to nearly $18 million.
Thanks to Weidner’s philanthropic spirit and community-building mindset, these two nonprofits will be positioned for long-term success with state-of-the-art facilities, but the real beneficiaries will be the kids and families who will be able to take advantage of the programs and facilities of those two organizations.
At heart, Weidner was a passionate community builder who built an apartment empire that spanned 14 states and four Canadian provinces that totaled nearly 75,000 homes across 23 communities.
The gracious and humble Weidner passed away last week at 83 years old. Both YMCA Chief Executive Officer Dorry Foster and museum executive director Marriah Thornock said the news of Weidner’s passing was “heartbreaking.”
While the financial resources he supplied were critical for the organizations, he also became a friend and thought partner for both Foster and Thornock. He was a transformational thinker with a huge heart.
Weidner “completely transformed what we’re able to do with the project” to update and expand the museum, said Thornock. “I’m going to really miss having somebody like that to chat with and be around,” she added.
Former Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz first met Weidner when he was looking at developing Riverside 9 Apartments on the waterfront. Kuntz recalled that the city was desperate to get additional housing because the vacancy rate was about one percent. Kuntz and Weidner became good friends and shared a collaborative approach to community issues.
I was honored to meet Weidner a few years ago with Foster and YMCA capital campaign chair Steve Robinson. Weidner showed us around the campus of an apartment complex he built in Woodinville. It was readily apparent that Weidner was intimately involved in every aspect of building his apartment communities.
His passion for providing places to live for fellow human beings drove his company to expand.
When we met with Weidner in 2024, the $33 million campaign for the new YMCA was struggling. Weidner graciously donated $2.3 million. That gift was instrumental in getting us close to the finish line in terms of being able to start construction. To date, the Y has raised in excess of $31 million dollars and is within $2 million of the project being fully funded.
Weidner made another massive contribution to the YMCA by coming to the rescue of the Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp, which has been losing money for years. The Y board reluctantly put the property up for sale last fall.
When Weidner read a newspaper article about that decision last October, he called Dorry and offered to buy the camp for $6 million and fund a $2 million capital endowment – an $8 million commitment. Foster says the funds will make it possible to continue operating the camp in a more sustainable manner.
This was classic Dean Weidner. He saw an opportunity to help a valuable nonprofit serve the community better and he wrote the checks to help make that happen. Weidner has done significant philanthropic investments in many of his markets, including owning a soccer team in Colorado Springs.
Giving back to the community is an integral part of the DNA of North Central Washington. It was significant philanthropic gifts and a strong community commitment by Mike and JoAnn Walker that created Pybus Public Market. So many other civic endeavors have been funded by local folks who have decided to invest in our valley’s future.
Meanwhile, the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center has been closing in on having enough funds to start construction of its renovated facility. After consulting with Thornock, Weidner recently offered a $2.5 million challenge grant to the nonprofit. Weidner will match all contributions up to the full amount that are committed by the end of May, 2026.
Dean Weidner has helped the YMCA and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center build a solid foundation for the future. Children and families will for decades be enjoying experiences at those two organizations for decades to come.
We mourn the loss of the humble, caring and generous Dean Weidner. We still have some work to do to fully fund both campaigns — each organization needs $2 million or so. Please reach out to Dorry Foster at dorry@wenymca.org or Marriah Thornock at marriah@wvmcc.org if you can help out financially.
How fortunate we are that Weidner fell in love with the Wenatchee Valley and North Central Washington to the extent that he committed major dollars to help the community thrive. We will forever be in his debt.
