Obituaries

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A Beloved, Successful Life

Shelli Liebman Dorfman

husband, our dear stepfather Bob, who
devoted himself to her with love and
affection," Gary said. "They shared
onnie Torgow was a gifted
everything together and were a beauti-
teacher, a Fulbright Scholar. Yet,
ful couple, encouraging and supporting
near the end of her life, when she each other."
measured her success, it was in how she
Each winter the two drove to Florida.
was surrounded by her beloved family.
They spent a sabbatical year in Israel
"She observed and marveled with
in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s,
tremendous pride at the overwhelming
Mrs. Torgow and her husband traveled
stream of grandchildren and
to London, when she
great-grandchildren who vis-
received a Fulbright
ited with her, each giving her
Scholarship.
warmth and hope and a great
She was inspired
sense of accomplishment:'
by her parents, the
said her son, Gary Torgow.
late Bertha and the
"She deemed herself the lucki-
late Manuel Merzon.
est person in the world and
Gary said his mother
would consistently praise God,
described them "as
Hashem, for her good fortune."
her most vital life
Mrs. Torgow, Taibel Sorah
advisers who provided
Bas Moshe, 75, of Southfield,
tremendous stability
died Dec. 16, of myelodyspla- Bonnie Torgow
and were the most
sia, a blood disorder, having
generous, kindly souls
been diagnosed in 1989.
she knew."
Born and raised in Detroit, she
Mrs. Torgow gave away hundreds of
received her teaching degree from
copies of Raising the Bar, a book filled
Wayne State University in 1968. "She
with the words, history and Torah
was an immensely devoted and talented thoughts of her late father.
teacher and won praise from every
She described her mother as "the
principal for her amazing diligence and
consummate mother, wife and best
success:' son Gary said.
friend — that she saw as the perfect
"She was a teacher's teacher and was
role model for the future generations of
sought after as a professional men-
her family:' Gary said.
tor throughout her career. She loved
Mrs. Torgow was proud of her fam-
educating young people and she was
ily lineage, including Rebbe Tzadok
deservedly proud of her significant
Hakohen of Lublin and Rabbi Chaim
accomplishment in earning a teaching
Tzvi Rubinstein, founder of the Chicago
degree while raising three little children Yeshiva.
under 10 years old."
"My mother worked very hard
After retiring from teaching in the
to imbue a sense of Yiddishkeit
Southfield Public School district and at
(Jewishness) in her family that she
Wayne State, she became a substitute
learned from her parents:' Torgow said.
teacher at Akiva Hebrew Day School and at "She worked diligently and succeeded
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah's Beth Jacob School.
tremendously in encouraging the stron-
"In her later years, she made great
gest possible ties between her parents
efforts to attend as many classes and
and her children.
shiurium [courses on religious topics]
"She understood the influence that
as she could and was very devoted to
our grandparents had on us and how
her Torah study," Gary said.
vital that imprimatur would be in shap-
"She loved teaching and she loved
ing the destiny of our family's future
learning," grandson Yoni Torgow said.
generations!"
"She was an avid collector of contempo-
Grandson Yoni said, "She would tell
rary Jewish books and loved to read."
anyone and everyone with great joy
Mrs. Torgow regularly attended com-
about her family. She had a gallery of
munity lectures, Jewish educational
photos throughout her house so wher-
events and book club meetings.
ever she would walk, she would see
her children, grandchildren and great-
Family All Around
grandchildren. The pictures will be a
Mrs. Torgow had an "incredible appre-
constant reminder of what was most
ciation and deep love for her beloved
important to her."

Senior Writer

B

48

December 23 • 2010

Obituaries

A Love Of Life

"My sisters and I would meet people
everywhere who would tell us how
wonderful a person our mother was and
how she exuded a charm and warmth
and a kindly countenance," Gary said.
With care for others, he said recently
his mother "merited to contribute a very
generous donation to a fund to help
young brides with their wedding expens-
es — understanding how very great such
an opportunity was and that it would be
an eternal merit for her soul."
She was very loyal to her many
friends, said grandson Ariel Halpern.
And she could never spend too much
time with her grandchildren. "We talked
often, and we talked about everything;'
Ariel said. "She was always genuinely
interested in my life and made me
and all of her grandchildren feel very
special. My grandmother was happiest
when our entire family got together!'
In her drive to keep in touch with
family, she exchanged e-mail and made
video calls on the computer.
"Grandma loved life," Yoni said. "She
had a vitality and a spirit which per-
meated her being. She and Papa never
missed a family or community event.
They were always the first ones there and
the last ones to leave. Every wedding,
there was Grandma, front and center,
never wanting to miss a moment.
"She wanted to use every day to the
fullest. She was always running, not
wanting to miss a second of the life that
God gave her."
Gary said, "She told us how satisfied and
fulfilled she was when reviewing the fam-
ily she had nurtured. That to her was the
mark of a successful life and for that alone
she deemed herself a terrific success!'
Bonnie Torgow is survived by her
husband, Robert Torgow; children, Lissie
and Alan Rothstein of Southfield, Gary
and Malke Torgow of Oak Park, Julie and
Eli Halpern of Southfield; brother and
sister-in-law, Melvin and Jean Merzon of
Buffalo Grove, Ill.; numerous grandchil-
dren and great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box 2044,
Southfield, MI 48037; Akiva Hebrew Day
School, 21100 W. 12 Mile, Southfield, MI
48076; or Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network, 6555 W. Maple Road, West
Bloomfield, MI 48322. Interment at Beth
Shmuel Workmen's Circle Cemetery in
Clinton Township. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Li

IRVING "SONNY"
BLATT, 96, of West
Bloomfield, died Dec.
15, 2010.
He was the
owner of Auto
City Automotive
Warehouse.
Blatt
Mr. Blatt is sur-
vived by his wife, Shirley Blatt; son and
daughter-in-law, David and Hedy Blatt
of Bloomfield Hills; grandchildren,
Daniel Blatt, Jessica and Tom Cooney,
Dr. Gary and Donna Katz, Rochelle and
Richard Freeman, Karyn and Lawrence
Brod and Michael J. and Jaclyn Katz;
great-grandchildren, Ryan, Danielle
and Ari Katz, Hanna Freeman, Sidney
and Benjamin Brod, Shea, Sawyer and
Landon Cooney.
He was the cherished father of the
late Barbara Katz.
Interment at Beth Ahm Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made
to Temple Israel, Joseph and Bessie
Lebowsky Nursery School Fund, 5725
Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
MI 48323, www.temple-israel.org ; Yad
Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI
48072, www.yadezra.org ; Hebrew Free
Loan, 6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, www.hfldetroit.org ;
Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation,
2000 Oakley Park Road, Suite 104,
Walled Lake, MI 48390,
www.michiganjewishsports.org ; a char-
ity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.

SETH MICHAEL
COLLINS, 27, of
Beverly Hills, Calif.,
and Bloomfield Hills,
died suddenly Dec.
10, 2010.
He will be forever
remembered
for his
Collins
contagious smile,
infectious laugh, sharp wit and soulful
wisdom.
He is survived by his beloved parents,
Sharon and Andy Collins of Bloomfield
Hills; brother, Zachary Collins; grand-
parents, Charlotte and Bernie Beigel
of West Bloomfield; aunt, Sara (Cathy
Collins) Miller of Portland, Maine,
Steve and Joanne Collins-Scissors
of Lakeland, Fla., Barbara (Howard)
Leshman of Waterford, and a large
circle of loving cousins and friends.
Mr. Collins was the grandson of the
late Carolyn and the late Sol M. Collins.
Contributions may be made to the
Trees in Israel Program (specify acct#
HN103046) at the Jewish National Fund.
Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.