Obituaries

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'Infinite Possibilities'

sad and ironic that he was
killed doing something he
loved so much!'

Jeffrey Grey

Robin Schwartz

Special to the Jewish News

L

ike the rivers and streams he
loved to explore as a camp lead-
er, 26-year-old Jeffrey Grey had
several constant themes running through
his life: People, camping and music were
some of his passions.
"Jeff embodied everything that we try
to do for our children:' said Jonah Geller,
executive director of Tamarack Camps,
where Jeff was a camp director. "He loved
camping, and he loved working with chil-
dren. He was the all-around consummate
professional in the camping world."
Musically, the gifted guitarist from Oak
Park left an imprint of his soul in the
songs he wrote, produced and recorded
on four self-released solo CDs.
"It was amazing to see how creative
he was with his music:' said his father,
James Grey of Farmington Hills. "He had
magic fingers!'
The longtime camper and employee of
Bloomfield Township-based Tamarack
Camps was in his second year as director
of Camp Kennedy in northern Michigan.
On July 17, fierce thunderstorms struck
the area of Algonquin Provincial Park in
Ontario where Jeff was leading a group of
17 campers and five other staff members.
During the storms, a tree fell on his tent
— killing Jeff and sending fellow staffer
Aaron Lebovic, 19, of West Bloomfield to
the hospital.
About 1,200 mourners gathered to
remember the bright young camp direc-
tor at his funeral July 20 at Ira Kaufman
Chapel in Southfield.
The crowd was filled with Tamarack
campers and staff members, includ-
ing those who were on the ill-fated trip.

SAVELY BASIN, 77, of
Farmington Hills, died July 17,
2006.
He is survived by his wife,
Lilya Basin; daughters and
son-in-law, Laura Itkin of West
Bloomfield, Janet and Jacob
Dunayevich of Farmington Hills;
grandchildren, Michelle Itkin,
Nicole Itkin, Amy Dunayevich,
Jackie Dunayevich. He was the
loving father-in-law of the late
Michael Itkin; dear brother of
the late Faina Friedman.
Contributions may be made
to Angela Hospice of Detroit,

78

July 27 • 2006

Many of his peers described Jeff as an
inspiration.
"His quote was,`There's a beginning
and there's an end; and, in between, there
are infinite possibilities:" said Jason
Matney, 20, a fellow Camp Kennedy
staffer. "That's how he lived his life."

Experienced 'Tripper'
From the time he was in diapers, Jeff was
part of the Camp Tamarack family. He lit-
erally grew up at the camp in Ortonville,
where his parents first met and fell in
love in 1965. Jeff was an experienced
tripper, the camp's nickname for offsite
excursion leaders. He attended almost
every program available including Butzel
Family Camp, Camp Tamarack-Maas,
Agree Outpost Camp, Camp Kennedy
and the Alaskan Adventure.
On the camp's Web site, he wrote the
following about how those journeys
helped shape his life: "I realized quickly
that my own personal strengths in lead-
ership, confidence and Jewish identity
had come largely from my summer
experiences. Teaching the next genera-
tion of leaders has given me immense
satisfaction!'
"He liked mentoring and teaching kids
— watching people grow': said his sister
Rachel Ellis of Oak Park.
"Jeffrey started to understand how
he could really put his special stamp on
people by running the Camp Kennedy
program': added his mother, Ruth Grey.
When enrollment was low, Jeff single-
handedly recruited the campers. He also
hired and trained his staff, led trips and
meticulously planned every detail.
"This was his dream job; he loved
nature said Rabbi Paul Yedwab of
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. "It's •

14100 Newburgh Road, Livonia,
MI 48154; American Cancer
Society, 18505 W. 12 Mile
Road, Southfield, MI 48076;
or to a Jewish charity of one's
choice. Services and inter-
ment at Hebrew Memorial
Park. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.

DIANE WUNTNER
BERGER, 74, former Detroiter
of Saginaw, died July 12, 2006.
She is survived by her
sons, Ronnie Downes of
Columbia, Md., Larry Downes

N

Musical Inspiration

Whether he was camp-
ing, driving cross-country or in the base-
ment music studio he built for himself at
home, Jeff always had his guitar within
arms' reach. He first learned how to play
at age 13; and just three years later, he'd
already recorded his first album. He
was constantly writing songs and often
carried a tape recorder to keep track of
ideas and sudden bursts of inspiration.
"He wrote about the things he experi-
enced," his mother said. "One of his first
songs was about taking a Chevy to the
7-11, buying a Slurpee and starting to
drive."
While earning his undergradu-
ate degree at the Eli Broad School of
Business at Michigan State University,
Jeff played guitar for his friends at Hillel.
When he spent his junior year abroad at
Tel Aviv University, the guitar came with
him overseas. Jeff proudly told family
members he performed in eight different
countries that year, as he traveled with
his friend Mike Shapiro.
Back at home, family and friends
would gather at local coffee shops and
clubs, including Xhedos in Ferndale, to
watch Jeff perform his alternative rock
music. Some of his songs are posted on
his My Space Web page (www.myspace.
com/jeffgrey) where friends have left
messages expressing their grief.
One entry reads,"Goodbye, friend,
love and good vibrations on your new
journey."

'So Much To Offer'
Jeffrey Grey tackled life the way he tack-
led Scrabble, pingpong, basketball and
other competitive games.
"He was the master — he won every

of Kensington, Calif.; sister,
Janet Wuntner Raznick of San
Francisco. She was the wife of
the late Sheldon Berger.
Private services were held.

DR. LEONARD J. CRAYLE,
82, of Southfield, died July 22,
2006. A periodontist, Dr. Crayle
graduated dental school from
University of Michigan in 1946
and practiced general dentistry
until 1960, when he went to
Columbia for periodontics. He
had a private practice and also
taught at University of Detroit.

time," said big sister
Rachel.
"He wasn't afraid of
anything; he just wrapped
himself right around
life said his mother. "He
soaked it in like a sponge."
When he got involved with BBYO, Jeff
became a regional officer and president
of Greenberg AZA. He even dominated
when it came to his family's cell phone
use.
"We got a family plan with five phones
and he always used 75 percent of the
prime-time minutes:' recalled his dad.
Jeff had big plans for the future.
This fall, he was headed to New York
University where he was to pursue a
master's degree in public administration.
He was also in the process of producing
his latest CD.
"We knew he was destined for some-
thing special — he was going to do
something amazing and remarkable, and
we were just waiting for it to happen':
said his mother. "He had so much to
offer. The world lost a really good one."
Jeffrey Andrew Grey is survived by
his parents, James D. and Ruth Grey;
sisters and brothers-in-law, Rachel and
Jason Ellis, Emily and Jordan Berman
of California; niece, Shira Ellis; grand-
parents, Sarah and John Nemon of
Farmington Hills; many aunts, uncles,
cousins and a world of friends.
He was the beloved grandson of the
late Archie and the late Lydia Grey.
The family requests that memori-
als be sent to the Jeffrey Grey Fund, c/o
Tamarack Camps, 6735 Telegraph, Suite
380, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48301; B'nai
B'rith Youth Organization, 6600 W. Maple,
West Bloomfield, MI, 48322; or a charity
of one's choice. ❑

See related story, page 27.

A member of American Dental
Association, American Board
of Periodontics, he was a dip-
lomate and a member of Alpha
Omega fraternity, Craftsman
Lodge of the Masons and was a
retired lieutenant colonel in the
Michigan National Guard.
Dr. Crayle is survived by his
wife of 58 years, Lillian Crayle
of Southfield; son, Jerome
Crayle of Graham, N.C.; daugh-
ter and son-in-law, Diane and
Gary Glazer of Los Altos, Calif.;
grandchildren, Jesse and Jimmy
Crayle, Daniel Glazer and fian-

cee, Jane Orkin, David Glazer;
sister and brother-in-law,
Madeline and Marvin Davis of
Gainesville, Fla.; brothers-in-
law and sisters-in-law, Irwin
and Phyllis Iwrey, Evelyn and
Aaron Goff; cousins, Adeline
and Sidney Berger; other loving
cousins, nieces and nephews.
Interment at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may
be made to a charity of one's
choice. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.