MICHAEL GIMBEL, 90, formerly of Detroit of San Diego. Mr. Gimbel practiced law in Detroit. He was still taking classes up until his death. He is survived by his wife Adrienne (Ada); sons, David and Kenneth, all of San Diego; son, Avram (Dennis) of Berkeley, Calif.; daughters-in-law, Iris and Joanne; grandchildren Adam, Jessica, Becky and Jeremy.
MAX SOSIN, A Master of Ceremonies:
When Max Sosin died of chronic heart failure Aug. 15, 2000 at Fleischman Residence in West Bloomfield, a part of the Detroit area's Jewish community died with him.
That was the feeling of friends, relatives, officials, co-residents and others who mourn the 89-year-old "treasure of Detroit's Jewry."
Mr. Sosin recently reminisced with a Fleischman volunteer about the "old days," calculating that he had spent 86 years in "show business" as an entertainer/humorist. He performed at countless synagogues, schools and concerts, and for many fraternal, civic and charitable organizations. He delighted and cheered Jews and gentiles alike, adults and children, the elderly and the disabled -- earning a reputation as the area's unofficial ambassador of good will.
And Mr. Sosin never received "one cent" for his hundreds of performances over the years. "Why? Because I never needed the income from this," he explained. "It has been a hobby ... a labor of love ... the love of entertaining and the love of the people I entertain. Besides, if I do a poor job, I don't have to worry about the money I didn't take."
Lillian Bernstein of Detroit, Mr. Sosin's second cousin, pointed out that he had "the incredible ability to charm a room full of people and make instant friends." She recalled that he always served as master of ceremonies for their Ordin Family Club meetings, which lasted 50 years.
Mr. Sosin boasted that he always did "a clean act," and without notes or cue cards, "just what comes to mind as I go along." He learned to sing in a synagogue choir as a youngster, but the cantor advised him not to pursue a professional career as a singer -- just to do easy songs to embellish his jokes.
Born in Russia, where he sang songs at age 3 for his parents' guests, Mr. Sosin came to America in 1924, learned English quickly and told jokes as a teenager to customers at his brother's candy store at Hastings and Theodore streets in Detroit. During his travels as an entertainer, he was amused that he even "played Peoria," performing at a synagogue in that northern Illinois city.
Rabbi Elliot Pachter of Congregation B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield, who officiated at Mr. Sosin's funeral Thursday, often visited him at Fleischman, where he had lived since 1996 after suffering a minor stroke. "Max celebrated his birthday by the Hebrew calendar, so it was always on the second day of Rosh HaShana," said Rabbi Pachter. "He had the honor of leading the congregation in "Adon Olam." Everyone just loved him and his singing style, and they joined right in."
Mr. Sosin spent most of his synagogue-going years at Congregation B'nai David, then took a circle of friends with him to B'nai Moshe in the early 1990s to make it easier for him to attend Shabbat services. "They really enjoyed each other's company," said Rabbi Pachter.
"Max was 'Mr. B'nai David'," said Larry Traison of Bloomfield Hills, who served two terms as B'nai David's president. "I got to know him very well, and he was one of our most popular members. His rendition of "Adon Olam" was the highlight of the year."
Jack Kraizman, 90, a retired attorney and past president of B'nai David, served on B'nai David's board with Mr. Sosin for more than 30 years. "Max was something special -- and the community will miss him," Kraizman said. "He entertained groups of all kinds in English, Yiddish and Russian, and the people just loved it. And he was a real visionary as a board member. After we established the Southfield [B'nai David] building, he wanted to build an even newer sanctuary further into the northern suburbs. He always had a dream for a more modern and better place."
Retired real estate developer Sid Silverman of Southfield remembers Mr. Sosin for their work together in the local chapter of the Zionist Organization of America. Silverman, past president of both the local and national ZOA groups, recalled how Mr. Sosin always "made the Jews of Detroit laugh" with his many anecdotes as master of ceremonies for 20 years at the annual Balfour Celebration, the ZOA's main fund-raising effort. "And, of course, he was an ardent Zionist."
Carol Rosenberg, associate director of the Jewish Home & Aging Services, called Mr. Sosin "a real symbol of the elderly people in the Jewish community. We were proud he chose to live at Fleischman in his later years and have us care for him. When you lose a resident like Max, you lose greatness.
"He was a teacher to all of us, helping the rabbi lead services and regularly attending the daily minyan. And he was always dressed with a tie and jacket like a real gentleman. He had wit, class and real menshkeit."
Another Fleischman resident, Ann Paneth, said Mr. Sosin entertained at the home's ice cream social only last month, "but he was finding it more and more difficult to walk, and he got around mainly in a wheelchair. He talked Yiddish to me all of the time. He was a fine, dignified gentleman."
Mr. Sosin tried his best to take field trips with the other residents, especially to concerts, but he also made it to Tiger Stadium last year. When a volunteer assisted him in a trip to the men's room in the third inning, he quipped: "We should be back by the seventh-inning stretch."
Throughout his "show business" career in his younger days, Mr. Sosin never gave up his day job -- first as a salesman for Wayne Drug and Sundries, then as a manufacturer's representative for Sosin Sales, which he sold in the 1980s. He always told the latest jokes to his customers along the way.
One of Mr. Sosin's fondest memories was a joke-telling session with Henny Youngman and his mother after the late comedian performed at a Detroit nightclub. "We told jokes until 4 a.m. -- and his mother was the funniest," he recalled.
Mr. Sosin's "biggest fan" was his wife, Ruth, who died in 1994. They had been married 61 years. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Harvey and Elizabeth Sosin of New Jersey; a daughter and son-in-law, Sally and Dr. Phillip Neuman of Southfield; 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were by the Ira Kaufman Chapel, with burial in Clover Hill Park Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Ruth and Max Sosin Forest, c/o Jewish National Fund, 17100 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075.
MAURICE JANOWSKI, 90, of Royal Oak, died Aug. 13, 2000. He is survived by his wife, Lottie Janowski; daughter and son-in-law, Rosaline and Rick Smith of Royal Oak; brother and sister-in-law, Henry and Elizabeth Yanowski of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; grandchildren, Marc and Nicole Smith, Linda Smith. Contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, 30600 Telegraph Road, Suite 2255, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. Services and intermenty at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
ESTHER GOULD, 93, of West Bloomfield, died Aug. 12, 2000. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Arline Gould of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Eric and Miriam Gould, Marc and Amy Gould; great-grandchildren, Adam and Michael. She was the beloved wife of the late Arthur Gould. Interment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Hadassah. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
DR. ABRAHAM BARNETT SOLOMON, The Family Doctor:
In his 52 years as a physician, Dr. Barney Solomon was both a throwback to the past and an inspiration to future doctors. He dedicated his life to his specialty of family medicine, treating a wide range of ills for generations of patients.
Dr. Abraham Barnett Solomon, 77, of Southfield died Aug. 11, 2000 after suffering a heart attack while seeing patients in his Lathrup Village office.
When he was asked when he would retire, Dr. Solomon would quip, "I'll quit when they carry me out of here."
Noreen Solomon, his wife of 43 years, said he loved his practice. "We sort of had the understanding when it stopped being fun it would be time to get out," she said. "The best part of it for him was getting up in the morning and looking forward to going to work.
"He loved his patients -- he had been taking care of some of them for 45 years," she added. "He felt a dedication, a devotion: 'Who's going to take care of them if I'm not there?'"
According to his wife, Dr. Solomon was unhappy with the direction that medicine had taken in recent years, with managed care interfering with the "art of medicine" and the decline of the general practitioner in favor of specialists.
Daughter Mindy Nathan said, "He was a big-time advocate of the specialty of family practice as the ultimate holistic medicine. It was about paying attention to the family medical history and what was going on emotionally in the family as well. He would treat many generations of the same family, birth to death.
"He helped create the family-practice program at [Southfield's] Providence Hospital," she added. "His favorite thing was to teach the residents. And he helped develop some very fine family physicians in this area through that program."
Dr. Solomon was also an assistant clinical professor at Wayne State University Medical School and trained students in his office.
Dr. Aaron Milstone of Nashville, Tenn., was a patient of Dr. Solomon as a teen and as a WSU medical student went through a training rotation in the doctor's office. "Barney Solomon was an incredible diagnostician," Dr. Milstone said.
"When you went to see him as a patient, a student or as a friend, he never was pressured for time. He was 'family' to all of his patients.
"He would bestow upon his students that there was much more to taking care of your patient than how the patient looked on paper. He taught every medical student that, and we've carried on the legacy of Barney Solomon to every part of this country.
"I don't think I walk into a single patient's room today without that same spirit that he instilled in me when I worked with him."
Son David Solomon said his father was as fiercely dedicated to his family as he was to his profession. "My dad was the eternal optimist," he said.
"My father always taught me never to give up," he said. "That's the way he lived his life, that's the way he practiced medicine and that's the way he loved his family."
Dr. Solomon is survived by his wife, Noreen Solomon; daughters and sons-in-law Mindy and Tom Nathan of Bloomfield Hills, Carin Solomon and Jerry Glickman of Texas; sons and daughter-in-law Marshall Solomon of Novi, David and Julie Solomon of West Bloomfield; grandchildren Jennifer and Jacob Nathan, Dylan Glickman, Joshua, Samantha and Scott Solomon; and brothers-in-law and sister-in-law Dr. Mervyn Ross and Dr. Larry and Joan Genender.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Temple Shir Shalom. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
FREDERICK SHEYER, 80, of West Bloomfield, died Aug. 11, 2000. He is survived by his sons, Martin Sheyer of Oak Park, Harvey Sheyer of Florida; daughter and son-in-law, Rita and Larry Cohen of White Lake. Contributions may be made to United Jewish Appeal, 6735 Telegraph, P.O. Box 2030, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303. Services and intermenty at Machpelah Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
LEE DAVID GENSER, 32, of Orangeburg, N.Y., formerly of Detroit, died Aug. 10, 2000. He is survived by his father, Morton Genser of Royal Oak; brothers, Randall Genser of Detroit, Adam Genser of Bloomfield Hills; sister, Leslie Serath of Southfield. Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Service, 24123 Greenfield, Southfield, MI 48075 or to a charity of one's choice. Interment at Machpelah Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
DR. JASON A. GOODE, 66, of Bloomfield Hills, died Aug. 10, 2000. He was a dentist and a past president of Alpha Omega Dental fraternity, president and director of the U.S. Dental Golf Association and a past president of the U.S. Dental Tennis Association. He was a member of Temple Emanu-El and Temple Shir Shalom. Also, Dr. Goode was a past chairman of the Professional Division of the Allied Jewish Campaign, past chairman of the Parent Youth Guidance Committee of Southfield, founding president of the Couples Club of Temple Emanu-El. Dr. Goode produced full-scale productions at Alpha Omega and Knollwood Country Club. Dr. Goode is survived by his wife, Cyrille Goode; son and daughter-in-law, Rabbi Tzvi and Shifra Goode of Baltimore; daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Kenneth Friedman; grandchildren, Mordechai, Nesanel, Leah, Elyiahu, Baila, Yehushua, Yisrael, Yocheved, Sirka, Ester and Broncha Necha Goode, Starr, Zachary and Tyler Friedman. He was the dear brother of the late Dr. Conrad Goode and the late Marilyn Soverinsky. Interment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Yesodei Hatorah of Baltimore, 2509 Summerson Road, Baltimore, MD 21209. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
BERTHA KANFER, 77, of West Bloomfield, died Aug. 10, 2000. She is survived by her daughter, Judye Kanfer of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Sydney, Samantha and Drew Glazer; sister, Sylvia Chandler of Bloomfield Hills. She was the beloved wife of the late Albert Kanfer; dear sister of the late Doris Hollo; loving daughter of the late Morris and Nettie Green. Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
ZOLTAN S. WALLIS, 85, former Detroiter of Northbrook, Ill., died Aug. 10, 2000. He is survived by his wife, Bernice; daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Harvey Abrams of Glenview, Ill.; son, Richard H. of California; brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Melanie Wallis of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Jody and Lyle Perkins, Josh Abrams; great-granddaughters, Rachel and Carly Perkins. He was the beloved husband of the the late Hattie (Michaels ) Wallis; brother of the late Alex Wolovits, the late David Wolovits and the late Irene Roth. Interment in Chicago. Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice.
NORMAN KAGAN, 77, of Southfield, died Aug. 8, 2000. He is survived by his wife, Yetta Kagan; daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and John Birdsong of Taylor, Marcie and Sheldon Weinstein of Southfield; sisters and brother-in-law, Annette and Robert Korn of Las Vegas, Nev., Bernice Levin of Oak Park; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Lilly Gordon of Southfield, Bess Wachlarz of Oak Park, Faye and Abraham Brickner of Ohio, Abba and Rena Shapiro of Farmington Hills; devoted, caring Sue Smith. Contributions may be made to Michigan Humane Society, 7401 Chrysler Service Drive, Detroit, MI 48211 or Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, 24123 Greenfield, Southfield, MI 48075. Interment at Beth El Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
EDITH WARTELL-EPSTEIN, 79, former Detroiter of Allentown, Pa., died Aug. 8, 2000. She was a member of Temple Israel in Allentown. She is survived by her husband, Samuel Epstein of San Diego, Calif.; sons, Dr. Michael Wartell of Philadelphia and Cantor Kevin Wartell of Allentown; brother, Joseph of Ocala, Fla.; sister Betty Reitman of San Diego; two grandchildren. She was the wife of the late Maurice Mitchell Wartell. Contributions may be made to the Maurice and Edith Wartell Jewish Family Programming Fund of Temple Beth El, 1702 Hamilton, Allentown, PA 18104 or the Alzheimer's Association. Interment at Beth El Memorial Park.
DOROTHY KLEIN, 88, of Beverly Hills, died Aug. 7, 2000. She was a teacher and a member of Hadassah. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Cindy Klein of Tucson; daughter and son-in-law, Ellen Bourke and Jack Rowland of Beverly Hills; grandchildren, Michelle Bourke, Dave Bourke, Melissa Klein; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Martin and Harriet Selik of Southfield; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Selik and Eleanor Selik. She was the beloved wife of the late Myron Klein. Interment at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Michigan. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
BLANCHE SHAPIRO, 91, of Oak Park, died Aug. 7, 2000. She was an executive at A.A. Department Store on Warren and 24th and of Northwestern Department Store on Grand River. She was a member of B'nai David Sisterhood. Mrs. Shapiro is survived by her husband of 72 years, Joseph Shapiro; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Bernard and Marcia Shapiro of Clarkston; grandchildren, Robert Shapiro, Dr. Larry Shapiro, Helene Shapiro, Dr. Jeffrey and Michelle Shapiro, Bruce and Sharon Shapiro, Dr. Paul Shapiro and fiancee Jennifer Grumet. She was the loving mother of the late Norman Shapiro; dear mother-in-law of the late Joan Shapiro. Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Yad Ezra. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
HARRY D. ALTMAN, 86, of Sebastopol, Calif., died Aug. 6, 2000. He was a dentist. Mr. Altman is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Michael Kessler of Sebastopol; son, Carl Altman of Clawson; grandson, Julian Altman. He was the beloved husband of the late Edith Altman. Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
