Obituaries Obituaries are updated and archived on thejewishnews.com 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.