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Obituaries
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Leading By Example
ack Schon of Bloomfield
Township, a respected lawyer
and communal leader for more
than half a century, leaves a long legacy
of community service and motivation of
others.
"The role model he provided helped
instill in me a belief that I could become
whatever I put my heart and talent
toward," said nephew Dr. Marty Lerman
of Houston. "His self-confidence and
determination remain an inspiration:'
Longtime client Ron Davis of
Bloomfield Hills said Mr. Schon was
always the first one he called for compas-
sionate personal and business advice.
"After I went into business for myself, he
was my mentor, confidant, conscience
and soul:"
Mr. Schon died Sept. 19, 2006, at age 81.
He was most recently a partner in the
law firm of Polk, Ginsburg and Schon
and served as outside general counsel
to Enercon Industries Corporation until
early this year. Previous partnerships
included the firms Levin, Levin, Garvett
and Dill; Grant, Boigen, Schon and Wise;
and Griffiths, Griffiths and Schon.
Son David Schon of Washington, D.C.,
said, "My dad taught by example that what
one does for a living is not just a job but a
career chosen of free will, worked hard for
and, above all, enjoyed" David followed his
father into the practice of law.
j
Mr. Schon exhibited his commitment
to the community throughout his life.
President of what is now Jewish Home
and Aging Services (JHAS) from 1991-
1993, he served on its board for 24 years
and was a member of both the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Board of Governors and its Commission
on Jewish Elder Care Services. He
received Federation's Agency Leadership
Recognition Award for service to JHAS.
For "his lifetime of devotion to better-
ing the community through volunteer-
ism;' Mr. Scion was honored last year
with the Eight Over Eighty award' by
Jewish Apartments & Services. At the
award ceremony, Carol Rosenberg, execu-
tive director of JHAS, said: 'After serv-
ing on the board of directors for many
years, Jack accepted the presidency of
the Jewish Home and Aging Services at
one of the most challenging times in the
history of the home. He took the respon-
sibilities seriously, feeling the burden of
the times on his shoulders, but he saw
it through and continued to serve as a
board member with the same commit-
ment and devotion he had from the starC
The youngest child of Joseph and
Lillian Schon, Jack grew up on Waverly .
Street in Detroit and attended Longfellow
Elementary School, Durfee Intermediate
and Central High School before enlisting
in the Army. He attended Grinnell College
in Iowa and the University of Wisconsin
at Madison before duty as a medic in the
Philippines during the battle of Leyte
Gulf in World War
Mr. Schon completed his studies at
Wayne University while working in
the family business, Schon's Menswear
on Woodward at Selden, earning a
law degree cum laude in 1950. As a
new lawyer, he was deputy clerk to
Detroit Recorders Court Judge Martha
Griffiths and later worked to elect her
as Michigan's first woman in Congress.
He remained active in Democratic Party
politics through the 1950s and 1960s.
Among his professional associations,
Mr. Schon served as national chancel-
lor of Tau Epsilon Rho Law Fraternity,
president of the Southfield Bar
Association and member of the Michigan
Representative Assembly of the State Bar
of Michigan. He was an arbitrator for the
American Arbitration Association.
He was president of what is now
Congregation Beth Ahm and the
Synagogue Council of Greater Detroit.
He was also president of Tam-O-Shanter
Country Club, a member of B'nai B'rith
and a 32nd degree Mason.
And Mr. Schon's legacy of community
service will continue. Said granddaughter
Emily Schiller of Philadelphia, "My grand-
pa always made me feel exceptional and
capable of doing,great things in the world."
Jack Schon is survived by his wife of
60 years, Florence Schon; daughters and
son-in-law, Laura and Richard Schiller
of Southfield, Joyce Schon of Detroit;
son, David Schon of Washington, D.C.;
grandchildren, Rachel Schiller, Emily
Schiller and Erica Schiller; brother-in-law
and sister-in-law, Seymour and Norma
Lankowsky.
He was the loving father of the late
Allan H. Schon; dear brother of the late
Isadore Scion, the late William Schon, the
late Sylvia Dubin.
Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to Jewish
Home and Aging Services, 6710 W.
Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ri
'Chico' Offered Homes And Hope
A
lbert Chicorel, or "Chico" as he
was known to Detroiters, gave
hundreds of low-income fami-
lies a place to live and hope for the future.
A leader of the local Sephardic community,
he also provided his cherished congrega-
tion a spiritual home in West Bloomfield.
Mr. Chicorel, 88, of Laguna Hills, Calif.,
died Sept. 30, 2006.
Since the 1950s, Chico offered affordable
housing to Detroit's low-income families.
He didn't check credit references or the
ability to pay — he simply put families
in homes with the opportunity to better
themselves.
"I remember going to collect rent with
Uncle Chico, and he would have a pocket
full of $5 bills," said nephew Ricky Behar.
"We would go house to house; and by the
end of the day, he had no more $5 bills and
did not collect any rent."
. An early investor of real estate in Novi,
Mr. Chicorel's prominent sign on Novi
Road stood for 30 years touting "Chicorel
... Watch Novi Grow!"
In 1937, Mr. Chicorel founded one of
the first plastics companies in the region,
National Plastics Products Co. When World
War II called, he served as a staff sergeant-
court stenographer in military courts.
In-1946, Mr. Chicorel invented Strip Fire,
using a 3M tape in an automotive applica-
tion to create a safety feature for bumpers
of cars. He also invented the original aero-
dynamic bug deflectors to create a flow of
air that would pass over the windshield as
the car was moving, deflecting bugs.
About 50 years ago, Mr. Chicorel began
investing in low-income housing in Detroit.
His pioneering real estate investment
techniques became widely popular years
later. He maintained his real estate brokers
license until his death.
In 1917, Mr. Chicorel's father, Jacob,
formed the Sephardic Community of
Greater Detroit as the first Sephardic orga-
nization in Michigan. Chico later served as
president. In 2000, he proudly dedicated
Keter Torah Synagogue in West Bloomfield
in the names of his parents, Jacob and
Judith.
Mr. Chicorel also served as president of
the Detroit Philosophical Society.
Although he enjoyed the sunshine and
ocean in California where he passed away
caringly tended to by his sister, Shirley
Chicorel Behar, he was always a Detroiter
at heart. He lived modestly in his unique
way, and enjoyed a steady stream of people
from all walks of life.
The major contribution of his life was
his enormous good will toward others;
he knew what it meant to be a friend.
Generous in helping others, he developed
spiritual interests that, in his own words,
made him "a rich man." He taught by
example the values he held dear, "Give and
you shall receive" — with his continuous
message to all, "You are the greatest!"
Mr. Chicorel is survived by his brother
and sister-in-law, Ralph and Debbie
Chicorel of Wisconsin; sister and brother-
in-law, Shirley and Marcel Behar of
California; friend, Grace Verte; nieces
and nephews, Shelley and Joel Tauber,
Gail Shapiro, Dr. Marc and Terri Chicorel,
Marilyn and Steven Victor, Judith and
Marc Herstand, Dr. Laurence and Rita
Albert Chicorel
Sibrack, Drs. Gerald and Mary Sibrack,
Steven and Taoyun Chicorel, Daniel
Chicorel, Jacob and Mary Chicorel, Dr. Marc
Behar, Jerome and Dr. Leslie Behar, Richard
and Nigist Behar and Lisa Behar.
Mr. Chicorel was the dear brother of the
late Max Chicorel, the late David Chicorel
and the late Esther Sibrack.
Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the Albert
Chicorel Youth Program Fund, Keter Torah
Synagogue, 5480 Orchard Lake Road, West
Bloomfield, MI 48323-2760. Arrangements
by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ,---
October 5c 2006
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