Obituaries

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Putting Family, Faith First

Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News

E

lsie Deutch was the typical Jewish
American woman of the early
20th century. She gave up her
career to get married at a young age; she
was a loving wife and mother; she kept a
kosher home and was an excellent cook;
she was a devout Jew and loyal to her
synagogue, and she loved to attend social
events and shop at the classic Detroit
stores.
"She was smart, very active and the
matriarch of the family; the glue that
held us all together," said her son, Marty
Deutch of West Bloomfield:Above all, she
just loved being a Jew."
Elsie Deutch, 93, died at her
Farmington Hills home of natural causes
March 10, 2011.
"She made wonderful seders that never
seemed to end, great Shabbos dinners
and we had an 'open house' every other
night at our home, where any of us could
bring in friends for dinner," said Marty.
"With family and friends, it was always
freilach [cheery] at our house:'
"Elsie learned well from her own moth-
er on how to put her family and faith
first; her priorities were always right:'
pointed out Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of
Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield.
He officiated at the funeral with Assistant
Cantor Leonard Gutman of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
"Elsie was very devoted to her family,
talking to her sisters every day, and she
made sure she was a positive influence
on her three sons as they grew up. Elsie
was a 9-5 lady. Her work and cooking in
the house started at 9 a.m. and ended at
5 p.m."
A native Detroiter, Mrs. Deutch gradu-
ated Northern High School magna cum

SHIRLEY DUBIN
ALPINER, 91, of
Bloomfield Hills, died
March 18, 2011.
She was born in
Lithuania. When she
was 2, the family left
Europe for America.
Alpiner
In the Detroit area,
she attended Roosevelt
Elementary School and Durfee Junior
High. She graduated from Central High
School at 16.
After graduation she went to work at

60

March 24 2011

laude and Wayne University Phi Betta
Kappa with an education degree; but, like
many women of her era, she got married
at a young age and never actually taught
school. She and her husband, Joe, were
married almost 60 years before he died
in 1999.

1988 when their son Harvey died of can-
cer."But Elsie pulled herself together and
was resolute. She and Joe took the family
to Israel where they dedicated a Jewish
National Fund forest in his memory:'
said Rabbi Moskowitz. "It was around
the Fourth of July, near the time of my
parents' 50th wedding anniversary; and
we all sang 'God Bless America:" Marty
recalls. "It was a first-class trip; she was a
first-class lady"
Betty Bonin, 92, of West Bloomfield
remembers her friend of 40 years as a
" wonderful woman and a
dear friend. Elsie was well
educated, very bright and
fun to be with. A group
of six of us went to the
Stratford Shakespeare
Festival for 20 years, and we
had great times up there."

"Joe introduced me to life outside the
Jewish neighborhoods by convincing me
to work part time at Paul's:' said Wayne
County Circuit Judge David Groner, son
of Rabbi Irwin and Leypsa Groner, who
were lifelong friends of the Deutches. "I
got to know Elsie very well and she was a
kind, warm person with a good heart. All
of us remember the great leadership roles
she took at Shaarey Zedek and in other
Jewish causes which helped strengthen
the Jewish community."
Elsie Deutch is survived by her
sons and daughters-in-law, Marty and
Jacqueline Deutch, and Irwin and Lynne
Deutch of Los Angeles; grandchildren,
Helene, Jocelyn and Bradley Deutch,
Stephanie and Jordan Goldstein, Jordan
and Neal Krone, James, William and John
Deutch; great-grandchildren, Caitlyn and
Cydney Krone and Avery Deutch; daugh-
ter-in-law, Lenore Deutch Singer, and
Alan Singer. Mrs. Deutch also is survived
by many loving nieces and nephews.
She was the beloved wife of the late Joe
Deutch and the cherished mother of the
late Harvey Deutch.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be made
to the Jewish National Fund, Harvey
Deutch Forest, 27600 Farmington Road,
Suite 204, Farmington Hills, MI 48334,
www.jnforg/midwestern; Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, Harvey Deutch Memorial
Fund, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI
48034, www.shaareyzedek.org; Hebrew
Free Loan, Harvey Deutch Memorial
Fund, 6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, www.hflDetroit.org ; Yad
Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley MI
48072, www.yadezra.org , or a charity of
one's choice. The family are planning to
donate a forest in Israel in memory of Joe
and Elsie. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman
Chapel.

in the Maimonides Medical Society
Auxiliary, helping to raise funds for
medical school scholarships for needy
Jewish medical students.
Husband Joe passed away in 1971.
Several years later, Shirley met Sam
Alpiner; they married in 1979 and had a
wonderful marriage that lasted 20 years.
Sam passed away in 1998.
Mrs. Alpiner is survived by her son,
Marc Dubin of Bloomfield Hills. She is
also survived Sam's children, Linda and
Robert Schwartz, Robert and Dianne
Alpiner, Donald and Susan Alpiner,

Joyce Alpiner; grandchildren, Erin
Schwartz and Adam Rendell, Stacey
Schwartz, Mitchell Alpiner, Daniel
Alpiner, Amanda Alpiner and Ellen and
Paul Bowmann; great-granddaughters,
Alyssa and Mia.
Mrs. Alpiner was the beloved wife of
the late Dr. Joseph J. Dubin and the late
Dr. Sam Alpiner; the dear mother-in-law
of the late Marvin Alpiner.
Interment at Workmen's Circle
Cemetery. Contributions may be
made to a charity of one's choice.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

Shaarey Zedek Board
The Deutches were lifelong members of
Shaarey Zedek, always sitting in the same
seats for Shabbat services and holidays
and often attending the daily minyans.
After Joe died in 1999,
Elsie instituted a program
at Shaarey Zedek's Laker
Center in West Bloomfield
to teach bar and bat mitz-
vah students how to lead a
minyan.
Always the champion
of education, Elsie also
helped teach English to
Paul's Cut Rate Drugs
new Russian emigres and
Mrs. Deutch joined many
strongly impressed upon
other family members and
Elsie Deutc h
her three sons the impor-
friends to work during the
tance of higher education.
Chanukah and Christmas
Elsie devoted a lot of her energies to
holidays at Joe's business, Paul's Cut-Rate
planning and publicizing synagogue
drug store on Broadway in downtown
events and was a pioneer by being the
Detroit. It was founded by Joe's brother,
first woman to serve on the Shaarey
Paul, and was a hub of activity downtown
Zedek board. She also served a stint as
for 60 years. Many city officials, judges
sisterhood president and president of her and downtown businesspeople had their
Hadassah chapter.
prescriptions filled there — and did last-
"There was no resentment by the male
minute holiday shopping.
board members; in fact, she had a great
"The staff was a mixture of white and
relationship with them:' recalls son Marty African-American employees, but my
"She worked hard for the synagogue and
mother considered everyone to be one
was very dedicated to being a Jew."
big family:' said Marty Deutch. "She often
Added Rabbi Moskowitz: "The Shaarey invited all of them to the many dinners
Zedek rabbis could always count on her
and holiday parties at our house."
to get things done. She especially loved
Joe Deutch was active in the Detroit
working with Rabbis Morris Adler and
African-American community and
Irwin Groner"
received several awards from the NAACP
Tragedy struck the Deutch family in
and the city.

Ned's Auto Supply in the office, learn-
ing to work the switchboard telephone
system among other things. After sev-
eral years, she began evening classes at
Wayne State University, taking courses
in interior design.
Shirley met Joseph Dubin, a physician
in private practice; eventually they mar-
ried and she worked in his office for 10
years.
Active in the Mt. Carmel Hospital
Guild, Shirley later became president
and initiated the first hospital pediatric
playroom in Detroit. She was also active

Obituaries