obituaries Slain Woman A 'Once In A Lifetime' Friend Ronelle Grier Contributing Writer T hose who were close to Helen Gale, the victim of a horrific murder, remember her as "a tall woman with a tall personality and a huge heart." She was a devoted mother, grandmother and friend, a woman whose love of knowl- edge, reading and the arts was only sur- passed by the love she had for her family and friends. Mrs. Gale, 81, was found dead on Nov. 26 in the back seat of her 2005 Honda Accord, which had been abandoned and set on fire in an alley along Buena Vista in Highland Park, 12 miles from her Southfield home. The circumstances of her death are still being investigated by police. Helen's daughter Stephanie Johnson of Holland, Mich., is confident that the mystery surrounding her mother's death, which is being investigated by the Southfield Police Department, will be solved soon. "The detectives have been absolutely wonderful — smart, nice and compas- sionate she said. "If anybody's going to figure out what happened, they will." On Dec. 1, friends and family members gathered at the Farmington Hills home of Marcie and Ashley Israel, where Helen had been a frequent Shabbat dinner guest. Helen had been a friend of Marcie's mother, Jeanette Weissman, since Helen moved to Michigan more than 40 years ago. Weissman, who was pregnant and confined to bed at the time, still remem- bers the day Helen knocked on her door, introduced herself and offered to drive young Marcie to Shaarey Zedek nurs- ery school. Weissman, whose carpool arrangements had fallen through, grate- fully accepted Helen's offer, amazed that a virtual stranger would make such an overture. "From that time on, we became sisters:' said Weissman, who lives in Bloomfield IlorlusT Surort FRANK HERMAN BASCH, 82, of Livonia, died Nov. 30, 2011. Mr. Basch was a Korean War veteran. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elaine Basch; daughters and sons-in-law, Karen Rosenberg and R. Lee Stevens of Huntington Woods and Paula Levy and Itzhak Elrom of West Bloomfield; grand- children, Marissa Hills. "If she knew that somebody had trouble, she'd come and help; but she didn't want to be a burden to anyone, even when she had heart surgery. She was the type of friend that comes along once in a lifetime. She touched people's lives." The friendship between the two women spread to Weissman's extended family and many of her friends. Weissman introduced Helen to Etta Lipsky of West Bloomfield, and the women enjoyed a long friend- ship that included weekly lunches at Sero's in Southfield following Saturday services. "She enjoyed (shul- hopping," Lipsky said. "She was a free spirit and always wanted to learn about every- body's culture." Born in Montreal, Helen lived in New York, Texas and Helen Gale California before set- fling in Michigan. Although she was a United States citizen, she was proud of her Canadian background. According to Ashley Israel, she would often precede a comment with the phrase, "You know I am Canadian ... " Always 'Giving Back' "She loved life; she wanted to learn something new every day': said daughter Stephanie. "She taught me and my chil- dren the importance of giving back, of volunteering. She always wanted to make sure the less advantaged had the same advantages as those who had more." Helen was a part-time employee at Southfield Parks and Recreation Department, a job that evolved from her volunteer work at the organization almost 30 years ago. "She enriched my life," said Shirley Altman of Farmington Hills, a longtime Rosenberg, Melissa Levy Hannah Rosenberg, Yael Elrom and Ilan Elrom. Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, www.holocaustcenter.org; St. John's Hospice, 37650 Garfield Road, Clinton Twp, MI 48036, www.stjohn.org/ foundation; American Heart Association, P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693, www. americanheart.org; or a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. friend and co-worker. "If she heard about a lecture or an art exhibit, she would share it and shlep you along." Her three granddaughters, Amanda, Jennifer and Brittany Johnson, were her pride and joy, and the admiration was mutual. "She wanted the best for us, but not in an overpowering way; she had a beautiful spirit': said Amanda, 23."And she dressed better than we did and had more friends." Brittany and Jennifer, 23-year-old twins, remember how their grandmother encour- aged them to fill their lives with happiness, love, travel, higher education and adventure. "She wanted every day to be full of excitement; she was very inspiring': said Brittany. "We all want to be like her when we turn 81." 'Opinionated And Colorful' Helen enjoyed engaging in lively debates about a multitude of subjects that includ- ed politics, art, literature and current events. "She was a very colorful character, very opinionated and very intelligent ... a lot of fun to be around;' said Ashley Israel. Kenneth Jones, the Israels' housekeeper, remembers how Helen used to compli- ment his matzah ball soup, which was one of her favorites. "She was always happy, always really nice and always a big part of the discus- sion," said Rachel Israel, 11. "She was the life of the dinner." Helen's friends described her as flam- boyant yet elegant, with eclectic tastes that included glitzy costume jewelry and tables set with fine china and linen cloths and napkins. "She dressed like a film star': said JEANETTE BERMAN, 97, of West Bloomfield, formerly of New York, died Dec. 1, 2011. She is survived by her son and daughter- in-law, Dr. Jay and Nancy Berman of West Berman Bloomfield; daughter and son-in-law, Judith and David Kohn; grandchildren, Dr. Jeremy Berman and Daniel Berman. Mrs. Berman was the beloved wife for 65 years of the late Edward Berman. Contributions may be made to Hadassah or Hospice of Michigan. ................. ... Marcie Israel. "She was as vibrant as the red lipstick she always wore. She would call her friends at night to see how they were and make social plans." Israel added that Helen had a love and passion for Jewish tradition and values although she was not especially observant. A voracious reader, Helen enjoyed attend- ing the annual Jewish Book Fair. "She had a memory like a steel trap': said Carol Paster, who was with Helen on the afternoon before her death. "Everything about Helen was special, even her outrageous combinations of huge costume jewelry that no one else could get away with." Yossi and and Lisette Benyamin of Farmington Hills met Helen at the Israels' home. "I was so surprised when I found out her age said Yossi. "She was so vibrant, so much younger. She was a very tall person in many ways." At the memorial gathering, Marcie Israel read a poem she had written about Helen, and Ashley discussed a passage from the Talmud about immortality "The rabbis say there are some who gain immortality in a lifetime and some who gain it in an hour': Ashley said. "I think about the last hour of Helen's life and how difficult it must have been — and I believe she handled it with bravery and dignity and strength, and that she gained her immortality during that houf Helen Gale is survived by her daugh- ters, Stephanie (Jim) Johnson of Holland, and Nancy Gale of Marina Del Rey, Calif.; granddaughters Amanda Johnson of San Francisco, and Jennifer and Brittany Johnson of Chicago; numerous close friends, neighbors and co-workers. She was the wife of the late Robert Gale and the sister of the late Eleanor Steinfield. Contributions may be sent to In True Fashion, a program that aids low-income students, through its website, tiny.cc/ donateintruefashion. Check the box "In memory of Helen Gale." Private interment was by Dorfman Chapel. Interment took place at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Fairview, N.J. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. SHARON BERNSTEIN FULLER, 53, of Muskegon, died Dec. 1, 2011. She is survived by her husband, Steven Ballinger; parents, Helen and Irving Bernstein of Southfield; son, Jason Fuller; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Mark and Debra Bernstein; sister, Linda Doney; nephews, a niece and many friends. Contributions may be made to a char- ity of one's choice. Interment was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. - Obituaries on page 62 Obituaries December 8 2011 61