Community
Kadima
presents
music with
Mandy Patinkin
accompanied by
Paul Ford
on the piano,
on Tuesday,
October 15
at 7:30 p.m.
at the
Music Hall
Related By Love
Blended family celebrates its 35th anniversary.
DIANA LIEBERMAN
Copy Editor/Education Writer
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2002
48
Mazel Toy!
with each other."
Dr. Lefton, a dentist, said he was
immediately enchanted with Zenia's
very outgoing personality."
"She's bubbly and empathetic," he
said. "I noticed it immediately, even
though she was feeling low at the
time."
For her part, Zenia Lefton remem-
bers her future husband as "very
dapper, very kind — he made an
excellent impression."
n 1967, there were no sup-
port groups for stepparents,
no "how-to" books on creat-
ing an intact family unit from
two families that had been devastat-
ed by death or divorce.
So it was with a certain amount of
trepidation — and a heartful of love
— that Zenia Jacknow said "I do" to
Dr. Irvin Lefton.
Among the witnesses
that October morning
at Congregation Beth
Shalom were seven chil-
dren ranging in age
from 21 to 8, three
Jacknows and four
Leftons.
As the couple pre-
pared to celebrate their
35th anniversary Oct.
1, they remembered
their early days. togeth-
er.
"I had been widowed
for seven years when I
met Irv," said Zenia
Lefton. "My baby was
only 14 months old
when my first husband
passed away. We had
just moved to Oak
Park.
"Irv-lost his wife a
Dr. and Mrs. Iry and Zenia Lefton
year or two later. He
lived around the corner
in Oak Park, but we'd
never met."
After their first date, the couple
Enter Florine Mark Ross of
kept company for almost two years
Farmington Hills. "She tried to
before uniting their families. "I was
marry us off," Zenia Lefton said.
very careful because of the kids,"
"And she did."
Zenia Lefton said.
"I knew Zenia from when she was
She needn't have worried.
married to her first husband, Al. He
"You can ask anybody in the city
was a wonderful man, an orthopedic
— you'd never know these were two
surgeon — all he wanted to do was
families combined," she said. "They
help other people. She was as mad
all called me Mom from day one,
for him as Iry was for his wife," said
and Iry is Dad. They are all loving,
Mark Ross, now chief executive offi-
respectful and warm to each other.
cer of the Farmington Hills-based
"They never refer to each other as
Weight Watchers Group.
stepbrother or stepsister."
"I believe we are given a second
The Lefton bunch consists of Dr.
chance in life. God was looking over
Charles and Hannah Lefton of
them and saw these wonderful peo-
Washington, D.C.; Mitchell and
ple who deserved a second chance
Sherry Lefton of Farmington Hills;
"
.
Janice Lefton of Royal Oak; Dr.
Gerald and Karen Jacknow of
Austin, Texas; Barbara and Mark
Jacknow-Shreve of West Bloomfield;
Eric and Pam Lefton of Chicago; Dr.
Dale Shelley Jacknow and Dr.
Daniel Brenner of San Mateo, Calif.
Iry and Zenia Lefton also have 10
grandchildren, ranging in age from 6
to 24.
In a written tribute to her parents,
Jacknow-Shreve called her family "a
large, close-knit bunch."
"The most important lesson my
parents taught us was about love and
family. We are always to be there for
each other. My siblings are scattered
from coast to coast and yet, despite
our hectic lives and our own fami-
lies, we continually keep in touch."
Every three years, the family holds
a reunion for "all 26 of us."
"Trying to explain 'biological fam-
ily' vs. 'stepfamily' and 'blended
family' is useless. I have never used
the [latter] term," wrote Jacknow-
Shreve.
"To me, love is the connection.
Family is not who is related by
blood but by love." CI