Mazel Toy!

The
Doll Lad

A lively
89-year-old
continues to live
life to the fullest.

CINDY FRENKEL KANTER
Special to the Jewish News

1116

lice Egrin, my husband's
grandmother, celebrated
her 89th birthday on May
18. One of my favorite rel-
atives, she's become Grandma to me
and Bubbie to my daughter and to a
slew of other great-grandchildren.
b
n
Married for over 50 years to Albert
Egrin, she raised five children,
including her sister. Today, she's hard-
ly slowed down. Her doll business,
Grandma's Girls, is going strong.
Her workshop is in her
Trowbridge apartment in Southfield,
where she sews large, soft-sculptured
dolls from start to finish. The dolls
sit on the living room couch and
"don't talk back," she says. They're
sold via word of mouth and at craft
shows. She also sews quilts for her
grandchildren, giving them as show-
er gifts.
Every Thursday morning, Alice
meets othe women at the historic
Longacre House in Farmington,
where the group sews clothing from
scratch for the Goodfellows. She's
the only Jewish member.
When she was in stronger health in
her late 70s, she volunteered at
Doherty Elementary School in West

Cindy Frenkel Kanter recently co-
authored "100 Essential Books for
Jewish Readers" with. Rabbi Daniel B.
Syme. She formerly was on the editorial
staff of "New Yorker" magazine.

Alice Egrin holds one of her Grandma;- Girls dolls. Above: Two finished beauties.

Bloomfield, helping the children read.
Alice plays piano (Beethoven
sonatas are her favorite) and loves to
travel. In her 60s, she studied Italian
and Spanish. She took Spanish 101
four times; she passed the first class,
but liked the teacher so much she
stayed on!
Traveling from Burma to
Morocco, Alice is an amazing bridge
between people, readily meeting
strangers and transforming them
into friends.
In 1993, she and Sherry Kanter,
her granddaughter, went on the first
Miracle Mission of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
Sherry said, "Seeing it through her
was incredible; she kept quoting her
favorite book — the Bible."

Earlier, in 1987, Alice and two
great-nephews, Michael and Robert
Egren, went to Israel on a tour billed
as an active way to see the country.
"No one on that trip will ever forget
my near 80-year-old Aunt Alice hik-
ing, camping, camel riding and shar-
ing her flask," Michael said.
They climbed steep grades with
her. "Michael would have Alice on
one side," Robert recalled, "and I'd
have her on the other. She'd say,
`Don't worry, I'm holding you. You
won't fall.'"
No wonder I go to Grandma first
to repeat a joke — even if it's twist-
ed! She says what's on her mind.
For years, Alice would cook huge,
wonderful meals for all the grand-
children, serving each person's

favorite food. The second generation
wasn't allowed.
She's also a good gardener, giving
us freshly grown vegetables from a
plot of land at her son's "farm" (we
still joke about when she planted the
popcorn). She's of the generation
that made do when there wasn't a lot
— and is into Kmart big time.
Her thriftiness knows no bounds.
How else to explain the reply when I
complimented her on her son's
kitchen wallpaper that they had put
up, then questioned her on why
there were two different patterns:
"It's contact paper," she answered.
"They only had this many rolls of
that pattern."
I should have known.

5/28
1999

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..

Detroit ,Jewish News

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