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A Lift's Journey With Style

ESTHER ALLWEISS TSCHIRHART
Copy Editor

N

ot many 78-year-old wid-
ows would want to drive
their little car solo across the
U.S. visiting family and
friends. But this was the ambition
accomplished by Gertrude Maria
"GG" Burg of Southfield, a quietly
generous woman admired for her gra-
ciousness, integrity and high standards.
She died Feb. 8 at age 83.
When she fled her native Germany
in 1933 to join older brother Fred in
England, Gertrude Gunz (also called
Trudy) had to grow up fast at age 17.
She hoped to teach children, but a
German-accented schoolteacher wasn't
wanted; she hoped to be a doctor, but
faced obstacles there, too.
In the end, she was educated as a
children's dentist at the University of
London, and worked in her profession
for about 40 years, combining her
interests in children and medicine
while serving as a role model to her
family's younger generations.
Mrs. Burg came to the U.S. in the
late '40s and took two more years'

DAVID SACHS
Editorial Assistant

W

hen one thinks of creative
people, the poet or artist
come to mind, not a
house builder. But to
Harry Spoon, building custom homes
in northwest Detroit and the suburbs
was a similar endeavor.
"My father was very excited about
creativity," said Jeffrey Spoon. "Driving
around town, he had this pride in
pointing out what he had done — that
he took something from nothing and
made something of it."
Mr. Spoon of West Bloomfield, who
constructed homes, apartments and
shopping centers with Spoon Brothers
and Spoon Building for 47 years, died
Feb. 13 at age 80.
Mr. Spoon and his family partners
built custom colonials along Outer
Drive in northwest Detroit as well as
scores of houses in Huntington Woods,
Oak Park, Southfield, West Bloomfield
and Livonia.
"We had a family enclave on Outer
Drive," said son Alan Spoon. "My
brother, sister and my parents had

training at the University of Michigan
Dental School. Speaking at the Feb. 11
funeral service at Ira Kaufman Chapel,
Jann Davis of Farmington Hills
remembered her aunt saying that, as
the only woman in her gross anatomy
class, her professor was very tough on
her. "She had to be extra-prepared
every day" to prove herself
Mrs. Burg met her late husband Leo
Burg when he called square dances at
Detroit's International Institute. They
married in 1948.
During the Burgs' 46-year partner-
ship, they helped found Co-op
Services, a consumer cooperative con-
tinuing today. Co-op's businesses
included a project Mrs. Burg particu-
larly assisted, Co-op Dental.
Mrs. Burg was active with the
League of Women Voters' Oakland
County Branch, Meals on Wheels and
donated to health and nature-related
organizations. She gardened (preserving
her produce) and camped. For the
family, she created the self-published
Auntie's Alphabet Book in 1986.
As a homemaker, she was known for
putting on holiday dinners that seemed
effortless, great pies with flaky crusts

and a legendary
thriftiness —
"She always
took pride in
how many
meals she could
get out of a
meatloaf,"
Davis said
She was a
Gertrude "GG" Burg
loving mother and
aunt. She cheerful-
ly accepted one niece calling her Auntie
DooDoo — for Gertrude — through-
out childhood and she always remem-
bered everyone with a birthday gift.
"She believed in me and helped my
dream of going back to college become
a reality," said Davis, an occupational
therapist. Ted Burg of Florida said that
was his mother's war "She reached out
to help others quietly, without drawing
attention to herself She lived simply,
using just what she needed to get by."
Dan Burg noted that when he had
the chance to take a better job in
Chicago, even though she already was
not in good health, his mother
encouraged me to go. She was always
encouraging me."

"

A Builder's Builder

homes within two blocks
of each other. Any of the
substantial two-story
colonials there with the
intricate brick work, it's
likely he built them."
"Consider the wood-
work!" added Jeffrey.
"If you ever saw the
homes of that era,
which had the individ-
ual panels, the built-in
desk, built-in book-
shelf — they built
Harry Spoon
that. They had their
own carpenter on staff.
They built their own kitchen cabi-
nets.
"The key of our family business was
the quality of construction," he added.
"We were known as custom builders.
As a person, Mr. Spoon was just as
sturdy as his homes.
"My dad was a very strong individ-
ual," said Jeffrey. "His morals were the
utmost. He was from the school where
if you shook somebody's hand and you

said we had a deal, we had
a deal."
"He saw things in
black and white, with sur-
prising clarity," said Alan.
"You were his friend or
you weren't. You were
determined to be honest
or otherwise. If he had
reason to trust you, it last-
ed a lifetime.
"And things for my
father just had to be
right," he added. When
Alan and his wife Terri
bought their first house
in Massachusetts, his father visited them
and gave it a once-over, finding 100
items in need of repair or improvement.
Mr. Spoon's father and uncle,
George and Max, started as partners
in the building business in the 1920s.
Harry Spoon was a pharmacist for
several years before joining his broth-
er Julius and cousin Herbert as the
new generation in the family business
following World War II.

Mrs. Burg had dreamed of
taking a long trip across country
but her husband kept delaying
his retirement. Niece Sally
McCutcheon of Ontario, in a
letter read at the funeral service,
wrote, "When Leo died so unex-
pectedly, your true mettle shone
through. Your solo journey [at
age 78] across the States and
back was truly heroic. Whenever
I tell people about you, it is the
story of that trip in your little
Neon."
Soon after her eight-week jour-
ney ended, Mrs. Burg's brain
tumor was diagnosed. As her health
deteriorated, she didn't complain, fac-
ing her death with dignity, strength
and bravery.
Mrs. Burg is survived by her sons
and daughter-in-law, Theodore and Joy
Burg of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and
Daniel Burg of Chicago; grandchildren
Franklin and Gwendolyn Burg; broth-
ers-in-law and sisters-in-law Joan Gunz
of Australia, Zyga and Irma Allweiss of
West Bloomfield and Richard and
Christa Burg of Chugiak, Alaska; 10
nieces and nephews. She was the
beloved wife of the late Leon Burg.
Contributions may be made to a
charity of one's choice. Arrangements
by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ❑

"It was a partnership of deep trust,
few formalities, tolerance, care and love,
said Alan.
Rabbi Herbert Yoskowitz of Adat
Shalom Synagogue spoke at the funeral
Feb. 14 at Ira Kaufman Chapel. "Harry
Spoon's colleagues refer to him, as a
builder's builder," said the rabbi.
"Not only a builder of buildings,
but also a builder of family. A builder
of love relationships. A builder of
ideas. And also a builder of Adat
Shalom Synagogue. For that he was
too, as was his father, builders always,
[wanting] to leave something behind
that would outlast him."
Mr. Spoon is survived by his daugh-
ter, Linda Spoon-Simonton of
Huntington Woods; sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Jeffrey Spoon and Terri
Ginsburg of Ann Arbor, Alan and Terri
Spoon of Maryland; 12 grandchildren;
sister, Shirley Barak of Florida.
For 53 years, Mr. Spoon was the
beloved husband of the late Mildred
Spoon.
Interment was at Adat Shalom
Memorial Park. Contributions may be
made to the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.

.

❑

2/18
2000

137