obituaries
A Man Of Vision
Esther Allweiss Ingber
Contributing
Writer
I
B
orn more than a century ago in
Lodz, Poland, ophthalmologist Dr.
Morris Joseph Mintz grew into a
true American success story. Among his
achievements, he was a founding physi-
cian and surgeon emeritus at the former
Sinai Hospital in Detroit, a decorated war
veteran and the loving patriarch of his
family.
Dr. Mintz, of Southfield, 101, died Nov.
5, 2012. Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield, where the
Mintz family once belonged, officiated at
the Nov. 8 service in Ira Kaufman Chapel
in Southfield.
Named for his grandfathers, the
future doctor was born June 10, 1911,
to Norman and Anna (Fisher) Mintz.
Norman sought a better life for his family
in Toronto and brought over Anna, tod-
dler son Morris, baby Jack and mother-
in-law Esther Fisher. They later moved to
Detroit.
At age 15, Morris gave shaves and cut
hair at his father's business, Norman's
Beauty Salon on Dexter at Fullerton. The
young man also did janitorial work at the
Fresh Air Society camp (now Tamarack).
He graduated summa cum laude from
Northern High School in June 1927, two
months after becoming a U.S. citizen.
Next came two years of pre-med at City
College of Detroit (later Wayne State
University) and enrollment at University
of Michigan in September 1929. He
worked as a barber in the Michigan
Union and also for two summers in
DR. HAROLD
BIENENFELD, 83, of
Highland Beach, Fla.,
died Nov. 26, 2012.
He graduated from
Wayne State University
School of Pharmacy
and Still College of
Bienenfield
Osteopathy in Des
Moines, Iowa. Dr. Bienenfeld prac-
ticed medicine in Pontiac and Naples,
Fla. He served in the U.S. Army during
the Korean Conflict, as chief of staff
at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital, on
the faculty of MSU Osteopathic School
and numerous local organizations and
boards. He was a lifetime member of
Temple Beth El.
Dr. Bienenfeld is survived by his for-
mer wife, current partner and mother
of his children, Joanne Schurgin; sons
and daughters-in-law, Chuck and Ania
88
December 6 • 2012
South Haven while attending medical
for people sighted in one eye.
school.
Dr. Mintz served as first director of the
After graduating in 1935, Dr. Mintz
renamed Vision Rehabilitation Institute
interned at Wayne County General
and continued weekly visits after retiring
Hospital and did a two-year residency.
in 1986. He stopped doing major surgery
about five years earlier.
(Later, he served 19 years as chief of
ophthalmology for the
At home in Detroit and
later Lathrup Village, the
Westland-based hospital, a
weekly trip.)
Mintzes raised two daugh-
ters, Marjorie and June.
While he was visiting
Marjorie Levine learned
Toronto, he met Ginger
Bessie Evans and they expe-
how much her father cared
rienced love at first sight at
about his patients from
a dance. Married on May 9,
working with him in his
office. This "open-minded
1937, "they were partners in
marriage for 74 years:' said
and progressive" doctor
Rabbi Loss.
practiced holistic medi-
In 1942, Dr. Mintz
cine — treating the whole
Dr. Morris J . Mintz
enlisted in the U.S. Army
patient. For someone with
as a first lieutenant. He was
a headache, he taught the
later promoted to captain and received a
patient acupressure.
Purple Heart for his service in Europe.
"Dad had a stack of classical and
Back in Detroit after the war, Dr.
Yiddish records and thought playing
them in the office had a calming effect
Mintz passed the ophthalmology boards
in 1951. He practiced 21 years at the
on patients:' Levine said. Her father
medical office he built on Livernois
showed compassion by keeping charges
near Six Mile Road. He later relocated to
low for less-affluent patients. He was also
Greenfield at Outer Drive and then the
"significantly ahead of the times for put-
ting up a 'Do Not Smoke' sign in his wait-
Advance Building in Southfield.
ing room during the 1950s."
Began Innovative Clinic
Dr. Mintz's greatest professional achieve-
ment at Sinai Hospital occurred in 1960.
Along with two colleagues, he co-found-
ed Michigan's first Low Vision Clinic, a
model for the country. In 1971, Dr. Mintz
and his team created the electronic mag-
nifier. Now widely used, the magnifier
enables partly sighted people to read and
write. Another invention was a vision aid
Bienenfeld of Berkley, Douglas and
Aileen Bienenfeld of East Lansing, and
Joel Bienenfeld of Bloomfield Hills;
grandchildren, Samantha, Alexandra
and Zachary Bienenfeld; sisters-in-law,
Rose Bienenfeld, Dorothy Bienenfeld and
Phyllis Dugan; nieces, nephews, other
family members and friends.
He was the beloved husband of the
late Ilene S. Bienenfeld; devoted son of
the late Samuel Bienenfeld and the late
Sadie Kastenbaum Bienenfeld; the loving
brother of the late Arnold Bienenfeld,
the late Solomon Bienenfeld and the late
Sylvia Dreylinger; the dear brother-in-
law of the late Leon Dreylinger.
Interment was at Beth El Memorial
Park Cemetery. Contributions may
be made to Hospice by the Sea, 1531
W Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton,
FL 33486-3395, www.hospicel.org .
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
Obituaries
Community Achievements
Dr. Mintz was the consulting ophthal-
mologist to the Michigan Commission
for the Blind for 20 years and a former
board member of the Greater Detroit
Society for the Blind. Earlier, he volun-
teered at the North End Clinic, forerun-
ner of Sinai.
Dr. Mintz wrote articles and belonged
JANE BLUMBERG, 86,
of West Bloomfield, died
Nov. 29, 2012.
She is survived by
her daughters, Patty
Blumberg, Penny and
Thomas Wolf, and
Marcie and Richard
Blumberg
Maxfield; son, Gary
Blumberg; grandchildren, Michael Mattler,
Jayme Mattler, Lauren Wolf, Jade Maxfield,
Jordan Maxfield, Andrew Blumberg,
Lorrie and Jason Slater, and Mindy and
Scott Hess; great-grandchildren, Skylar
Hess and Eric Slater; brother, Jay Hartman;
sister, Shirley Gruber.
Mrs. Blumberg was the beloved wife of
the late Herbert Blumberg; the loving sis-
ter of the late Richard Hartman.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be made to
a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by
to many boards and societies for ophthal-
mology and the medical profession. He
was president of the Maimonides Medical
Society, which raises thousands of dol-
lars for medical scholarships. In 2010,
he was honored for being the oldest liv-
ing graduate of U-M Medical School. A
year earlier, the Michigan Wood Carvers
Association gave him a hand-carved cane
along with his personal wartime history.
Levine said her father, a wine connois-
seur, ate right, swam into his late 70s and
was alert and involved until his death.
"Morris was blessed with years:' said
Rabbi Loss. "We could learn a lot from
the way he chose to live:'
Dr. Mintz is survived by his daughters
and sons-in-law, Marjorie and Arthur
Levine of Southfield, and June and
Steve Kruger of Framingham, Mass.;
grandchildren, Mark and Lonna Levine,
Mike Levine and Erica Kempter, Allison
Kruger and Jenna Kruger; great-grand-
children, Simone and Cara Levine; sis-
ters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Gertrude
Siracuse, Harry Evans, and Florence and
Kenneth Lichtman; loving friends and
other family.
He was the beloved husband of the late
Ginger Mintz and the dear brother of the
late Jack Mintz, the late Samuel Mintz
and the late Frieda Handelman.
Interment was at Beth El Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to
Fresh Air Society, c/o Anna Mintz
Memorial Fund, 6735 Telegraph, Suite
380, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, www.
tamarackcamps.com; or a charity of
one's choice. Arrangements were by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.
❑
Ira Kaufman Chapel.
SOPHIE CERESNIE,
91, of Southfield, died
Nov. 29, 2012.
She is survived by
her sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Steven and
Patty Ceresnie of West
Bloomfield, Edward
Ceresnie
Ceresnie of Australia,
Michael and Paula Ceresnie, and Glenn
and Nancy Ceresnie; daughter and son-
in-law, Janice Ceresnie Liang and Ching
Liang of Illinois; grandchildren, Sharon
Ceresnie Sorkin and Dr. Daniel Sorkin,
Barbara Ceresnie, Eric and Angela
Ceresnie, Justin and Ashley Ceresnie,
Benjamin Shapiro, Brian Shapiro and
Robyn Berlin, Aaron and Clare Ceresnie,
Jeffrey Ceresnie, Jordan and Amber
Ceresnie, Sarah Liang and Jonathan