ove

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Milton and Cruciel Oleinick
Sept. 5, 1998

The Oleinick
family marks
50+ years
of devotion.

LORI OLEINICK DUBE
and ALAN HITSKY

liff ilton Oleinick fell in
love with Cruciel
Nathanson 54 years
ago, sight unseen. It
was her lips that were the attraction.
Actually, it was "Cru's" ruby-red

children, travel, philanthropy and
the ultimate test of their "in sickness
and in health" wedding vows.
The Oleinicks started a Passover
delivery program in their Oak Park
living room more than two decades
ago. Working with Rabbi Solomon
Gruskin, other friends and family
members, they annually prepare
Passover packages for up to 200
needy, elderly or mentally ill Jews.
The program went on as sched-
uled in 1979, even though Milt was
diagnosed with cancer and spent
more than six months at Sinai Hos-
pital with Cru sleeping in a chair at
his side. Doctors dubbed him the
miracle patient, but he credits Cru's
devotion for his recovery.
Milt is retired as a partner in May
Sales Co. furniture store in Detroit
and keeps busy with a toy train lay-
out he and a son built in his base-
ment, as a board member of Hebrew
Memorial Chapel and as cemetery
chair of the Pinsker organization.
"He also drives some ladies to the
beauty shop every Friday," says Cru,
"but he jokes that they have to be
over 70" to get a ride from him.
The couple moved to a West
Bloomfield condominium nine years
ago. They were long-time members
of Congregation B'nai David but
Milt, since the couple's move, is a
regular at Shabbat services at the
nearby Fleischman Residence.
Cruciel keeps busy as a jewelry
maker, creating necklaces for chil-
dren "and doing craft shows."
The couple celebrated their 50th
anniversary last month with family
and friends at a 60-person picnic at
Farmington Hills' Heritage Park and
a restaurant dinner that evening for
75. In addition, Milt celebrated a
birthday Aug. 31, granddaughter
Emily marked her 30th birthday
Sept. 5 — the same day as her
grandparents' 50th anniversary —
daughter Lori had a birthday Sept.
16 and Cru had hers Sept. 18.
lipstick print on the back of an
Marking the events were the
envelope sent to Milton's cousin in
Oleinicks' children, Harold and
Indianapolis. It wasn't long after-
Shirley of Berkley, Larry and Susan
wards that Milt traveled to Detroit
of Farmington Hills, Allan and
to meet the woman behind the lips.
Claire of Huntington Woods and
He wasn't disappointed. After a
Monte and Lori Dube of Evanston,
four-year, long-distance courtship,
Ill., and the couple's nine grandchil-
the couple married and began a half-
dren. [1]
century adventure filled with love,

10/16

1998

Detroit Jewish News

63

