obituaries
>> Obituaries are updated and archived on thejewishnews.com
Courage And Dignity Always With A Smile
M
ichael Dan Zeldes smiled a lot.
His smile attracted friends
and teachers and, in some
cases, his parents recall, made him the
favorite in the classroom. His sister
Sheryl says Michael's smile became his
trademark.
Childhood friends called him "Rosie"
not only because of his former surname
Rosenthal, but also because he had a
"rosy" demeanor. He loved swimming,
soccer, lifting weights and learning. He
also had an appetite for life and food.
Each night, together with his brother
and sister, they ate dessert, after des-
sert, after dessert.
Michael was also intellectually gifted,
posing reflective statements. "We make
our world significant by the courage
of our questions and the depth of our
answers:' said Michael during his bar
mitzvah speech. At Southfield-Lathrup
High School, he was an honor student
in the advanced international bacca-
laureate program and was a member of
the soccer and swimming teams.
As a junior in high school, Michael
suffered from a brain tumor. Even after
the tumor, when he was 17 years old,
his appetite for life remained. His hun-
ger, though, took on a deeper meaning.
His friends from high school remem-
ber Michael post-neurosurgery and
radiation treatments, lifting weights
in his parents' basement, dedicated to
DR. MAX APPEL, 91,
of Oak Park, died Sept.
25,2011.
He was a dentist
and also a pharmacist.
He was a medic in the
Army during World
War II and participated
Appel
in the second wave of
the invasion in the Pacific.
Dr. Appel is survived by his wife of 63
years, Ruth Appel; sons and daughters-
in-law, Gary and Mimi Appel of Traverse
City, Jeffrey Appel and Judge Michelle
Friedman Appel of Huntington Woods;
daughter and son-in-law, Judy and
Michael Applesmith of Los Angeles,
Calif.; grandchildren, Micah Appel,
Raffi Appel, Andrew Appel, Gabriel
Appel, Samuel Appel, Elliot Applesmith,
Matthew Applesmith, Jacob Applesmith;
loving nieces and nephews.
He was the dear brother and brother-
in-law of the late Harry and the late
Florence Appel, the late William and the
late Ruth Appel, the late Ben and the late
Rose Appel.
Contributions may be made to Jewish
72
September 29 • 2011
growing stronger despite the effects
that left him weary.
Twenty-five years later, on Sept. 22,
2011, Michael, of West Bloomfield, died.
He was 42 years old.
Michael fought his illness with a
smile. Even when some boys in high
school stole the hat off Michael's head
to expose his baldness
from radiation treatments,
he responded, smiling.
Despite the struggle,
Michael attended Miami
of Ohio University and
Oakland Community
College for two years.
Though he couldn't con-
tinue with college, he was
dedicated to learning how
he could maximize his
life despite his physical
Michael Dan
and mental constraints.
c. 1987
Michael yearned for what
many of us all want: to work, to own a
home and to fall in love.
In the 1990s, he worked as a busboy;
he bagged groceries at a local grocery
store, and he especially liked giving
customers cash for used bottles. During
that decade, he also met Lisa, the love
of his life, at a support group.
The two were married in 1998.
"When I first saw Lisa walking down
the aisle, I felt like a million dollars;
this was the day for us to say we were
Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, 6555
W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI
48322 or Yad Ezra, 2850 West 11 Mile
Road, Berkley, MI 48072. Interment was
held at Clover Hill Park in Birmingham.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial
Chapel
RUTH BERMAN, 86,
of Farmington Hills,
died Sept. 24, 2011.
She is survived by
her daughter, Marcia
Reinhart of Farmington
Hills; grandchildren
Michael Altman, Jamie
Berman
Altman, Chad Reinhart;
many loving nieces, nephews, other
family members and friends.
Mrs. Berman was the beloved wife of
the late Erwin L. Berman; mother of the
late Lois Berman; grandmother of the
late Bryan Altman.
Contributions may be made to a char-
ity of one's choice. Interment was held
at the Clover Hill Park Cemetery in
Birmingham. Arrangements by Dorfman
Chapel.
Obituaries
connected," Michael said of Lisa during
a video created by the social service
agency JARC.
When you asked Michael how he
was, he'd smile, the biggest smile
you'd ever see, and say, "It's great! I'm
excellent!" And he meant it. Michael
often greeted Lisa with "Hi, gorgeous!"
With Lisa grasping his
hand, they walked the
West Bloomfield Trail.
Passersby could watch
them toss a beach ball
back and forth in the pool
in their complex. They
also frequented services
and events and dined
in local restaurants. On
several occasions, strang-
ers, so taken aback by
Zeldes
the couple, would pick up
their bill.
Achieving Independence
With the help of his parents, dedicated
to preserving their independence, Mike
and Lisa lived in their own condo and
led their own life. They were so grateful
to have their dignity and freedom.
Despite their positivity, Mike and
Lisa's world was challenging, and others
admired their perseverance. In addi-
tion to the neurosurgery and radiation
treatments when he was a teenager, in
the mid-2000s a shunt infection hospi-
MARCIA
BUCHALTER, 75, of
Canton, died Sept. 22,
2011.
She received a
degree as a LPN and
was also a co-owner
with her husband of
Buchalter
Irving Furniture and
Fast-Foto. She retired after serving as a
receptionist at Danto Health Care.
Mrs. Buchalter is survived by her sons
and daughters-in-law, Ray and Barbara
Buchalter of Canton; Mark Buchalter
and Karen Cretekos of Seattle, Wash.;
daughter and son-in-law, Sheryl and
Rick Goldberg of Adrian; brothers and
sisters-in-law, Roy and Norma Gealer
of Phoenix, Ariz., Yale Gealer of Keego
Harbor, Beverly Gealer; grandchildren,
Joseph Buchalter, Amanda Buchalter,
Louis Buchalter, Benjamin Buchalter,
Erin Goldberg, Emily Goldberg; many
loving nieces and nephews.
She was the beloved wife of the late
Bernard Buchalter; loving sister of the
late Aubrey Gealer.
Contributions may be made to Caring
talized him in the intensive care unit.
In August 2011, 25 years after his
original illness, surgeons removed a
tumor from his brain that was a result
of the radiation he received as a teen.
As he recovered from this surgery, he
was so grateful to Lisa, who visited
each day to feed him. He always said,
"Thank you:' and some days he even
greeted her with "Hi, gorgeous!"
Although the hospital and nursing
home situations were restrictive, Mike's
parents and his brother, Steve, fought
for Mike to maintain his self-respect.
During the funeral held at Ira
Kaufman Chapel and his interment at
Beth El Memorial Park, the family cel-
ebrated Michael and his "rosy" smile
Michael Dan Zeldes is survived by
his wife, Lisa; parents, Beverly and
Martin Zeldes of West Bloomfield; sister
and brother-in-law, Sheryl and Patrick
O'Loughlin; brother and sister-in-law,
Drs. Steven and Geri Zeldes; nephews
and niece, Connor and Gavin O'Loughlin,
Jordyn, Gabriel and Tommy Zeldes.
Contributions may be made to
Community Living Services, Friends of
CLS, 642 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale,
MI, www.comliveserv.com/friends;
Birmingham Temple, 28611 W. 12 Mile
Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334,
www.birminghamtemple.org ; or a char-
ity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel. II
Voice Coalition, 8249 Meadowbridge
Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116
or Scleroderma Foundation, 300
Rosewood Drive, Suite 105, Danvers,
MA 01923. Interment was held at Adat
Shalom Memorial Park in Livonia.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial
Chapel.
ILSA ANN DRAZNIN, 65, of Detroit,
died Sept. 15, 2011.
She was a criminal defense attorney.
Ms. Draznin is survived by her broth-
er, Paul H. Draznin of West Bloomfield.
She was the devoted daughter of the
late David and the late Beverly Draznin.
Interment was held at Adat Shalom
Memorial Park Cemetery. Contributions
may be made to Leader Dogs for the
Blind, P.O. Box 5000, Rochester, MI
48308-5000, www.leaderdog.org ; or
Jewish National Fund, 60 Revere Drive,
Suite 960, Northbrook, IL 60062, www.
jnf.org/midwestern . Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.