If you ask 90-year-old Ines Weber, she will tell you that her nine decades have been filled with multiple opportunities and several moments of perseverance.
Most recently, Ines lost her home of 50 years in the wildfire that ravaged the Pacific Palisades. With the help of her children, Gunnar and Clarissa, she’s resettled into a new apartment in West Los Angeles, and she is planning to rebuild on the same site. The future is still unknown, but she’s moving forward with optimism and positivity.
She strives to share that same sense of hope with others. It’s what motivated her to create two charitable remainder trusts to support the leading-edge research at City of Hope. She understands that our investigators’ life-extending efforts can transform countless patients living with cancer and diabetes.
Decades of growth
Ines’ journey began in 1935 on a beautiful, remote ranch in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, South America. As the eldest of 12 children, she received a boarding school education, learned English and worked as a secretary. But she wanted more from life.
At 28, Ines had the opportunity to move abroad. She seized her chance to embark on a broader life.
“Despite everyone’s opposition — except for my parents’ who, with tears, gave me their blessings, prayers and good wishes — I left everything behind and moved to the United States in 1963,” she says.
It proved to be the right decision. Ines soon met her husband, Kenneth, in Los Angeles. Together, they invested in real estate throughout the area and built a successful tax preparation business while raising their two children. When they bought their Pacific Palisades home in 1975, Ines says she felt like she was experiencing her dream come true.
“I thought I was living on the top of the world. Ken was my technical support, my mentor, my hero and my greatest fan,” she says. “He believed that I could accomplish almost anything.”
Sadly, Kenneth died from a sudden heart attack in 1992 at age 57. Although Ines was heartbroken, she says she relied on the memory of his consistent encouragement to spur her on to continued success. She turned to her children and, with their help, nurtured her business for another 30 years. Ines finally retired in 2019 at age 85.
A gift of love and planning
In retirement, Ines sees a new building opportunity. Instead of growing a business, she says she’s invested in contributing to medical research at City of Hope that will potentially save countless lives. Her inspiration is the life-extending non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment a dear friend received on the Duarte campus in 2001.
“My friend was referred to City of Hope when her cancer returned. She received a bone marrow transplant and has been in remission ever since. She is still healthy today,” Ines says. “That’s how I first learned about City of Hope and the miracles performed there.”
In honor of her friend’s good outcome, Ines took steps in 2023 to support City of Hope’s research investigations. By donating six of her real estate properties in North Hollywood and Central California, she created two charitable remainder trusts that will help sustain cancer and diabetes efforts for years to come. Charitable remainder trusts allow donors to receive steady income from the sale of assets during their lifetime; afterward the remainder becomes an enduring source of support for City of Hope.
“In my eyes, this is an act of love and foresight,” she says. “I wanted to create a plan that would make a difference. Through this trust, I want to give hope to people who are battling cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses.”
Ultimately, Ines says she feels fortunate that she’s had a long life filled with love and accomplishments. She wants to leave behind a path that gives other people fighting illness a way to experience the same happiness.
“Leave a legacy if you can,” she says. “Your legacy is what you leave to others to change their lives for the better after you are gone. Knowing what City of Hope was able to do for my friend and others, I’ve chosen supporting their future research efforts — for the benefit of more patients and families — as my legacy.”
