Obituaries

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Soul Of The Stage

Steve Raphael

Special to the Jewish News

A

nyone who ever met Kay-Ellen
Murphy came away convinced
that the cliche "good things come
in small packages" wasn't just a cliche.
Maybe five feet tall on a good day, her
size belied the energy, passion and spirit
she infused in everything she did.
Kay-Ellen enjoyed acting, singing, play-
ing harp and producing plays — all for the
nonprofit Bloomfield Players Community
Theatre, which held its performances in
one of two Bloomfield Hills high school
auditoriums. She also taught preschool and
special education in the district. At the the-
ater, she was always concerned that all par-
ticipants in the plays have a good time, and
she often encouraged parents to audition
and perform on stage with their children.
Kay-Ellen Murphy, 55, who was a life-
long nonsmoker, died June 26, 2009, fol-
lowing a two-year battle with lung cancer.
Her impact on the community was
such that the June 29 funeral service was
delayed for nearly 15 minutes so the fam-
ily could accommodate the people lined
up to pay their respects.

RITA BERRY, 77, of St. Petersburg, Fla.,
died June 15, 2009.
She is survived by her daughters, Helen
Lubaway-Jedlowski (fiance Alan Kanter)
and Doreen Rott; son and daughter-in-
law, Arthur and Julie Rott; grandchildren,
Bryan, Andrea, Joshua and Ryan; devoted
companion, Francis Prahl; many loving
friends.
Contributions may be made to the
American Diabetes Association or to a
charity of one's choice. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.

BEVERLY COHEN
BRAWER, former
Detroiter of Los Angeles,
Calif., died May 22, 2009.
She always lit up a room,
and that light will be in
the hearts of her family
and friends forever.
Brewer
She cherished and was
cherished by husband, Larry, who totally
adored her for 53 years. She was the loving
and devoted mother to son, Gary Brawer
of San Francisco; daughter and son-in-
law, Audrey Brawer Ruhland and Bill of
Seatttle, Wash.; son and daughter-in-law,
Alan Brawer and Ilyse of Long Beach,
Calif.; son and daughter-in-law, Stanley
Brawer and Susan of Yorba Linda, Calif.;

C24 July 2 • 2009

Friend Barbara Kellman, also speaking
for another close friend Carol Leslie, said
Kay-Ellen was "unpretentious, uncompli-
cated, kind and full of under-
standing and good humor."
She recalled how the three
friends would go around belt-
ing out show tunes, turning
to late night telephone calls
when Kay-Ellen moved from
Detroit to Farmington Hills.

Life Of Music

Kay-Ellen's life was filled with
the sound of music. She had
a voice like Ethel Merman and curly locks
like Little Orphan Annie. Her early desire
to be an actress was stymied because she
could play the harp, a sought-after talent
in short supply in high school theater.
In the summers, she attended
Interlochen Center for the Arts in the
northern Lower Peninsula; and it was
there that she met her future husband,
Bob. Both were students at University of
Michigan. Bob now plays violin in the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His DSO col-
leagues provided a musical tribute prior
to the funeral service.

loving grandchildren, Harlan, Jeremy,
Nicholas, Madison, Braedon, Jakob, Justin
and Jenna.
She was the loving daughter of Esther
Cohen; loving sister and sister-in-law of
Hedy Cohen Mishkind and Ira and Judy
Cohen Cagan and Ron; she left loving
nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made to
Congregation Adat Ari E1,12020 Burbank
Blvd., Valley Village, CA 91607.

ANNE FELDMAN, 92,
of West Bloomfield, died
June 28, 2009.
She is survived by her
son and daughter-in-law,
Paul and Joan Feldman
of Farmington Hills;
daughter and son-in-law,
Anne Feldman
Marilyn and Sam Taub
c. 1980
of Florida; daughter-in-
law, Maggie Feldman; grandchildren, Eri
Shaw, Karen Shulman Mindy and Andrew
Jacobson, Amy and Dr. Steven Sclamberg,
Brian and Andrea Feldman, Marla Feldman
and Bill Schwanki, Robert and Alisha
Feldman; 12 great-grandchildren; sis-
ters and brother-in-law, Lottie Koltonow,
Beatrice Cohan, Lenore and David Shapiro.
Mrs. Feldman was the beloved wife of
the late Joe Feldman; loving mother of the

Obituaries

The pair made for perfect soul mates,
doing everything together, Kellrnan said.
They shared a passion for U-M football
and the Detroit Tigers, and
they were active members
of Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield.
Kay-Ellen worked closely
with local theater pro-
ducer Tom Logan on 10
Bloomfield Players produc-
tions he directed over 17
years, fulfilling a number of
theatrical duties. "She could
be brave and fiery when
she believed her opinion was right:' Logan
said. "But she could never give criticism
without shedding tears, as being critical
went so far from her nature'

Reorganized Theater

A few years ago, Bloomfield Players lead-
ership changed and Kay-Ellen filled the
breech during the transition, guiding
the organization as it moved from being
a program of the Bloomfield Township
Recreation Department into an indepen-
dent 501c3 nonprofit. She recruited board
members and served without a title.

late Sidney Feldman.
Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to
Jewish Home & Aging Services, 6710 W.
Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322,
www.jhas.org. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.

MIRIAM FELDMAN, 89, of West
Bloomfield, died June 25, 2009.
For 20 years, she was the owner of Troy
Art Gallery, which was originally located
in Troy and then Royal Oak. She was also a
member of Temple Emanu-El.
Mrs. Feldman is survived by her son
and daughter-in-law, Dennis and Diane
Feldman of Detroit; grandchildren,
Suzanne Fischer and Michael Feldman;
sister, Frieda Faigin of West Bloomfield.
She was the beloved wife of the late Dr.
Paul Feldman; loving mother of the late
Barbara Fischer.
Interment at Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the
Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123
Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI
48334, w-ww.holocaustcenter.org ; Detroit
Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward, Detroit,
MI 48202, www.dia.org; or Na'amat
Greater Detroit Council, 25900 Greenfield,
Suite 205D, Oak Park, MI 48237.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

Kevin Merlo, Bloomfield Players' cur-
rent president, offered perhaps the keenest
insight into the soul of Kay-Ellen.
"She called me the day before her sur-
gery and mentioned how concerned she
was about a student of hers whose mom
was fighting cancer;' Merlo said. "She was
acting as an inspiration for her young
student — that maybe things would work
out for the student's mom, too!"
Kay-Ellen Murphy is survived by her
husband, Robert Murphy; daughters,
Jillian Murphy of Ann Arbor, Diana
Murphy of Chicago; father, Samuel Klein;
sister and brother-in-law, Rosemary and
Robert Lee of Bear Lake; sisters-in-law
and brothers-in-law, Beverly and George
Doyle and Phyllis and Randy Hester;
nieces and nephews.
She was the loving daughter of the late
Harriet "Cookie" Klein.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be made to
LUNGevity Foundation, 435 N. LaSalle
Street, Suite 310, Chicago, IL 60654; Lung
Cancer Alliance, P.O. Box 630972, Baltimore,
MD 21263; or Bloomfield Players, P.O.
Box 7174, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LEWIS GARFINKEL, 82, of Oak Park,
died June 28, 2009.
He was the owner of the Security Shop
in Roseville for 50 years and was also a
sergeant in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
Mr. Garfinkel is survived by his sons,
Gary Garfinkel, Michael Garfinkel and
Steven Garfinkel; daughters, Diane Bailey,
Susan Baker and Gayle LeClerc; brother
and sister-in-law, Fred and Barbara
Garfinkel; sister, Dora Rowe; grand-
children, Tracy (Brian) McCalla, Jason
(Amanda) Baker, Ashley (Chris) Semesky;
great-grandchildren, Brianna, Evan,
Andrew and Ella.
He was the beloved husband of the late
Mary Garfinkel; dear son of the late Sam
and the late Leah Garfinkel.
Interment at Machpelah Cemetery in
Ferndale. Contributions may be made
to the Michigan Humane Society or to a
charity of one's choice. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.

MARY GORDON, 96, of Laguna Hills,
Calif., died June 24, 2009.
She is survived by her sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Fred and Marsha Gordon
of Bloomfield Hills, Sheldon Gordon of
Birmingham, Miles and Jan Gordon of
Indian Wells, Calif.; grandchildren, Joni
and David Wells, Todd Gordon, Stephen