ANNE E. BROWN, 79, of Troy, died Oct. 19, 2000. She is survived by her husband, David A. Brown; son, Arthur R. Brown of St. Charles, Mo.; daughter and son-in-law, Janice H. and Roger Whitener of Charlotte, Mich.; sister and brother-in-law, Beatrice and Charles Eder of Oak Park; grandchildren, Rachel Whitener, Katherine Brown, Jordan Brown, Megan Brown. Contributions may be made to Jewish National Fund or to a charity of one's choice. Services and intermenty at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
PETER BROWN, Businessman, Philanthropist
Peter D. Brown got in on the ground floor of a promising business operation and made it into the No. 1 bedding company in the United States.
Mr. Brown died Sept. 16, 2000 of congestive heart failure, surrounded by three generations of family members. He was 89 years old.
Founder of Sealy Mattress Company of Michigan, he was also a board member of its Chicago-based parent company, Sealy Inc., remaining active until the 1980s.
Despite health problems of his own, Mr. Brown was determined to help ease the misery of others.
"He was the essence of integrity and honesty -- there was nothing evil about him," said daughter Susan Lewis of Bloomfield Hills. "Even when he was in his last weeks in the hospital, he told us to teach the legacy of charity to his great-grandchildren."
"To be a Jew for him was to respond to human needs, to express compassion and to perform deeds of lovingkindness," said Rabbi Irwin Groner of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, where Mr. Brown had been a member for about 60 years. "He chose to live a life of compassion, of caring, of giving," Rabbi Groner said.
Former chairman of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Mercantile Division, Mr. Brown was also very active in contributing to and fundraising for the American Diabetes Association and the Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton, Fla.
Most recently, Mr. Brown and his wife, Dorothy, endowed the Dorothy and Peter Brown Centers, two facilities for the Jewish Community Adult Day Care Program. The centers serve older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, helping them regain self-esteem and learn to cope, while giving their caregivers much-needed respite.
One is located in the Rose and Sidney Diem Building of the Jewish Vocational Service in Southfield. The other is a free-standing building, sponsored by Jewish Home and Aging Services, on the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Campus.
"The Browns were not solicited for this," Rabbi Groner said. "These contributions were freely given to advance the welfare of our community."
The couple felt strongly about respite services after seeing the results of the progressive disease on Dorothy Brown's father, an Alzheimer's patient, and her mother, his primary caregiver.
Mr. Brown was born near present-day Harper Hospital and grew up in Detroit, spending his childhood in the Hastings Street area. He was a pre-med student at Wayne University before deciding to pursue a career in business.
Sealy Mattress Inc. began in the early 1940s, when a group of small manufacturers banded together to compete with Simmons, then the national sales leader, said A. Bart Lewis, Brown's son-in-law. The idea was to compete by pooling advertising costs and making standardized products.
Mr. Brown became the Michigan franchisee, owning Sealy production facilities and serving on the board of the parent company. He retired in 1987, but maintained an active interest in the business.
"He worked hard, became very successful and then was able to do the things he wanted to do -- be charitable," Mr. Lewis said.
In addition to his business and charitable interests, Mr. Brown was an avid reader, Mrs. Lewis said. "He would read anything and everything," she said.
Her father was also a big fan of football, she said. "He took me to Lions games and University of Michigan games since I was five or six years old.
"And he loved to fish."
But Mr. Brown's greatest love was his family, said his daughter, Mrs. Lewis.
"His two granddaughters spent the last weeks of his life in the hospital with him, sitting on the bed with their babies," she said. "Even though he was very weak, those babies still made him smile."
Mr. Brown is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dorothy Brown; daughters and sons-in-law Susan and A. Bart Lewis, Janis and William Wetsman; grandchildren Lainie and Kenny Lipschutz, Julie and Richard Winkelman, Adam and Carol Wetsman, David and Lori Wetsman; great-grandchildren Allison and Michael Lipschutz, Lauren and Amy Winkelman, Nicole and Ryan Wetsman and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Harold and Deanne Stralser.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Peter and Dorothy Brown Adult Day Care Fund, c/o Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
BENJAMIN BROWN, 97, of West Bloomfield, died Aug. 21, 2000. He is survived by his brother, Yale Brown of West Bloomfield; sister, Edith Gould of Livonia; nieces and nephews. Mr. Brown was the beloved husband of the late Pearl Brown; loving father of the late Helena Vipond. Contributions may be made to Kidney Foundation of Michigan, 2350 S Huron Parkway, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Services and intermenty at Machpelah Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
BELLE BROWN, 90, of Southfield, died July 20, 2000. She was the subject of a Mazel Tov! story in the Jewish News, July 14, page 56. She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Dorothy and Richard Love of Farmington Hills, Lois and Michael Novitz of San Diego, Calif.; grandchildren, Jacqueline (Scott) Denton, Stuart Novitz, Elisa (Jim) Gugerty, Howard Bisgeier, Diane Bisgeier, Barry Love, Cindy (Harry) Castle. She was the beloved wife of the late Harry Brown. Graveside services were held at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions can be made to the Karmanos Cancer Institute, 18831 West 12 Mile Road, Lathrup Village, MI 48076 or to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Funeral Direction.
HARRY BROWN, was known for his exuberant personality, always engaging strangers, always the life of the party. He spent his first two years of adulthood as a repertory actor.
But he spent the bulk of his life involved in real-life dramas, without a script, relying only on his sense of kindness and compassion. The hospital rooms of leukemia patients replaced the theater for him. His stage was at the bedside of dying patients.
Harry S. Brown, 85, of West Bloomfield, who along with his wife, Sylvia, were founders of Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan (CLF), died Sept. 9, 1999 of cancer. The Browns, whose 2-1/2 year-old daughter, Sandra Ann, died of leukemia in 1946, became pioneers in the field of counseling families and patients with leukemia in Michigan.
Sylvia Brown recalled, "In those days, it was very quick. There was nothing we could do for the children. Just a few blood transfusions and the child was gone. It was very traumatic for both of us.
"That gave Harry such an impetus to do something, to help other people. That was the purpose of our starting this organization, to help people cope with this terrible, terrible trauma."
Mr. Brown worked for more than 30 years as a greeting card salesman and account manager for American Greetings, visiting drugstores and card shops in the Detroit area.
Said his wife, "His personality was such that he endeared himself to everybody. He was a man of great fun. He loved fun and he loved children.
"In everything he did there was positiveness, and it rubbed off on the people he was counseling. The people who survived for any length of time couldn't do anything but praise him -- this wonderful man who came into their home or hospital room, who just walked in and took over."
Son Barry Brown, a social worker, described his father's efforts with adult and child patients and their families. "He was doing death work, which is one of the most specialized kinds of therapy that you could do, without any formal training. His great passion in life was to try to find a way to help other people.
"It was not uncommon to wake up in the morning and find the family of a patient sleeping in the house or having my father called to the hospital in the middle of the night when something went wrong for a patient," Brown said.
Mr. Brown served as president of CLF three times and Sylvia was its first executive director from 1952-1981. Leukemia, today, is not the certain death sentence that it was 50 years ago. With chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplants, the outlook for patients has improved immensely. CLF has grown from the Browns' distributing canisters to store counters in the early 1950s to the million-dollar-budgeted agency it is today.
People helped by the foundation started out-state chapters of CLF. "Harry would be instrumental in getting the chapters started, to lead them," said Sylvia Brown.
But mostly the Browns worked together. "This was a 62-year love story," she said. "We couldn't bear to be away from each other."
After they both retired from foundation involvement in their 70s, the Browns started volunteering at a residential house for JARC. "That became a big part of their lives," said Barry Brown. "They needed to be giving."
Daughter Abby Pook said, "It made us more caring and compassionate people to have parents like that."
Barry Brown said that his father never left the house without a pocketful of balloons or other small toys that he'd offer to any child within his reach. Growing up, Barry said he would sometimes feel embarrassed by the attention his father showed to strangers they'd see on the street or in stores, always doting on children. As he grew older, Barry came to realize that, "Who could better appreciate the delight of a precious toddler than someone who has suffered the loss of one?
"When your heart is filled with that much love, there's no choice but to let some of it out."
Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Sylvia Brown; daughter and son-in-law Abby and Neal Pook of Farmington Hills; son and daughter-in-law Barry and Christine Brown of Warren, R.I.; grandchildren Jessica and Thomas McCarthy, Lesley Pook, Robert Pook; brother and sister-in-law Joseph and Geraldine Brown of Florida; brother-in-law and sisters-in-law Jerry and Renee Gerger and Miriam Gerger.
Mr. Brown was the loving father of the late Sandra Ann Brown and the dear brother-in-law of the late Irving Gerger.
Interment at Hebrew Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, 29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 1651, Southfield, MI 48034 and JARC, 28366 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
SARAH DAVIS ROTHMAN BROWN, 93, of Waterford, died August 10, 1999. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Phyllis (Edwin) Rothman Bean of Waterford; grandchildren Jeffrey (Jackie) Bean, Debra (Dr. James) Gordon, Andrew (Jody) Bean, David (Cyndi) Bean; nine great-grandchildren. She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Herman Rothman and the late Dr. Arthur Brown. Graveside services were held at the Beth El Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Funeral Direction.
HARRY BROWN, 92, of Huntington Woods, died June 28. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Brown; sister Anna Parker of Southfield; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Julius and Gladys Schiffman, nieces and nephews. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 29350 Southfield, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48076 or to a charity of one's choice. Services and intermenty were held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
JAMES BROWNSTEIN, 64, of Farmington Hills, died Nov. 5. Mr. Brownstein was a food broker for Paul Inman & Associates. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Ellis and Ruth Brownstein of Livonia; nieces and nephews, Leslie and Dr. Mark Rosenwasser, Linda and Ronald Laird, Dr. David and Allison Brownstein; great-nephews and great-nieces, Adam and Bradley Rosenwasser, Sarah, Emily, Veronica and Molly Laird and Hailey and Jess Brownstein. Interment at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
EUGENE BROWNSTEIN, 79, of Southfield, died Oct. 3. He is survived by his wife, Norma Brownstein; daughter and son-in-law, Ina and Stephen Atlas of Santee, CA; brother and sister-in-law, Abraham and Mindy Brownston of Southfield; sister, Gertrude Rothman; sister-in-law, Jan Bronston; grandchildren, Matthew Atlas, Brian (Wendy) Atlas, Karilyn Atlas, Amy Brownstein. He was the beloved father of the late, David Jay Brownstein. Graveside services were held at Workmen's Circle Cemetery in Clinto Township. Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Funeral Direction.
MILTON CHERKASKY, 85, of West Bloomfield, died July 21, 2001.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Janice Cherkasky of Franklin; daughter and son-in-law, Carole and Curtis Slotkin of Bloomfield Hills; sister and brother-in-law, Muriel and Jack Farley of Tamarac, Fla.; grandchildren, David and Jonathan Singer, Erin and Bryan Cherkasky, Keith and Elissa Slotkin. He was the beloved husband of the late Vera Cherkasky.
Graveside services were held at the Beth Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 24359 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield, MI 48075; the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, 400 Buhl Bldg., Detroit, MI 48226 or to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by the Dorfman Chapel.
VERA CHERKASKY, 82, of Delray Beach, Fla., died Oct. 27, 2000.
She is survived by her husband, Milton Cherkasky; son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Janice Cherkasky of Franklin; daughter and son-in-law, Carole and Curt Slotkin of Bloomfield Hills; sister, Marilyn Bick of Oak Park; grandchildren, David, Jonathan, Erin, Bryan, Elissa, Keith.
Contributions may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Association, 29350 Southfield Road, Suite 42, Southfield, MI 48976 or National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, 20411 W. 12 Mile Road, Ste. 108, Southfield, MI 48076.
Services and intermenty were held at Beth Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
PAUL CHERKASKY, 78, of Rochester, N.Y., died May 19. Mr. Cherkasky was a sales consultant at Sibleys Department Store in Rochester, N.Y. He is survived by his nephew, Steven Brooke of Miami. Interment at Machpelah Cemetery. Arrangements by the Ira Kaufman Chapel.
IDA COUSENS, 82, of Southfield, died May 23, 2001. She was an insurance secretary and member of Workmen's Circle Association.
She is survived by her son, Marshall Cousens of Southfield; daughter, Eileen Herbach of Commerce; grandchildren, Kelli and Eric Weiss, Elissa Chudler; great-grandchildren, Alexander and Chelsey Weiss; sister and brother-in-law, Janey and Louis Remer of Florida. She was the beloved wife of the late Milton Cousens.
Interment at Workmen's Circle Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
TRUDY DANZIG, 67, of Huntington Woods, died Oct. 23, 2000. She was an interior decorator. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Karen Danzig, Jeffrey and Wendy Danzig of Huntington Woods; daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Mark Rubinstein of Bloomfield Hills; grandchildren, Brittany and Jayme Danzig, Lauren and Robbie Linden, Danielle Danzig; brother and sister-in-law, Benjamin and Fiona Frankel of Hong Kong; sister, Esther Farber of New York. Interment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be Directed to the Alzheimer's Foundation. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
