The Weinstein family have been active members of the Birmingham
Temple, where late sons Alex, 12, and Sam, 9, were students in the
Sunday Hebrew school. On May 8, Gary Weinstein listens to stories
about his children from their friends and classmates at the temple.
Many of the stories were new to him.

Hills. Gary played the part of the
Scarecrow, Sam was one of the
Lollipop Kids, and Alex was the Head
Winky, one of the Wicked Witch's
evil henchmen.
`Alex gravitated to it, he felt a real
power on the stage," said Gary, who
also had performed in Fiddler on the
Roofwith the Farmington Players.
`And Sam went along because he
loved his brother so much. Judy was
our audience."

Making A Difference

Judy Reiff grew up in Detroit, attend-
ed Mumford High School and stud-
ied social work at Michigan State
University. She later attended and
graduated from Detroit College of
Law.
Judy and Gary met on April 1,
1984, at a nightclub on Woodward,
where they danced all night. A smit-
ten Gary called her the very next day,

and it was dur-
ing their first
date that he
knew they
would get mar-
ried — which
they did, on
No 16, 1985,
in a ceremony
performed by
Rabbi Milton
Arm at
Congregation
Beth Achim in
Southfield.
"It was love at
first sight,"
Gary said. "She
had such a glow
about her, even
in the darkness.
"There was
always an inno-
cence in her
beauty," Gary
added, fingering
the chain
around his neck
that now holds
Judy's wedding
ring and one of
her earrings.
"We were
always support-
ive of whatever the other was com-
mitted to, we were 100 percent
behind each other in everything we
did."
The couple attended a personal
growth seminar by Landmark
Education, and Judy felt an immedi-
ate connection to the organization
and its positive philosophy of life. She
became very active in Landmark,
leading seminars for large groups and
doing leadership training.
"Judy was like a visionary on a
community level," said Zanzibar
Vermiglio of Oak Park, a Landmark
seminar leader who worked with Judy.
"She always knew what was needed,
and that's what she became."
She eventually gave up practicing
law and started her own executive
coaching company, called IBe
Management, working with clients
throughout the country.
"Judy was all about making a differ-
ence in other people's lives, her focus

was always on everyone else, on con-
tributing in any and every way," said
Jeff Kaplan of Birmingham, Judy's
business associate and longtime friend
of the family.
Judy was committed to a healthy
lifestyle and made time to work out
several times a week despite her busy
schedule.
"She wanted to live to be 100," said
Gary. "We watched what we ate, and
we didn't let the kids drink pop
because of the sugar. There wasn't a
single ounce of body fat between all
four of us."
"Judy knew no barriers; she was all
about sharing," said David Weinstein,
Gary's older brother who lives in
Jamaica, N.Y. "God didn't bring the
flood without instructing Noah about
how to build the ark. That's how God
runs the world, and we are Gary's
ark."

Outpouring Of Support

Gary Weinstein said that the vast out-
pouring of support he's received and
the wonderful memories of his
beloved wife and sons is giving him
the strength to cope with his shock
and grief.
"I am being held up
so that my knees can-
not buckle, I cannot
fall," Gary said.
"There's way too
much love, way too
much support. It's not
a small world, it's a
big family.
"I intend to build
on the strength of the
memory of who they
were and to live in
that moment," he
said. "Their smiles,
their spirit, that glow
in their eyes is forever
imprinted on my
brain, and I'm corn-
mitted to getting up
every day and con-
tributing to anyone I
can.

"My family wouldn't have wanted
to die in vain. I'm confident they
would want me to take the loss of
their lives and use it to make a differ-

On the afternoon of May 3,
Weinstein received a call from
Beaumont Hospital, telling him that
his son, Sam, was there and that he
should come as quickly as possible.
He didn't ask the caller any questions;
he simply left his store, Weinstein
Jewelers of Novi, and started driving
east toward the hospital.
"On the way, I called Judy, but she
didn't answer, then I tried calling Alex
on his cell phone, figuring he would
be at Hebrew school. He didn't
answer either, and my mind started
formulating questions," he said. "I
couldn't imagine how Sam could have
gotten to the hospital without Judy
calling me.
"From 1-696, I saw helicopters cir-
cling as I approached Orchard Lake
Road, and I turned on the radio. I
heard the announcer say there had
been an accident, a boy had been
thrown from a car, and that there had
been other fatalities. I thought about

I TRULY HAD EVERYTHING on page 18

The Weinstein family:
Judy and Gary with
sons Alex and Sam.

5/12
2005

17