obituaries A Life Of Worth W alter Manfred Stark, died Jan. 17, 2013, at his home in Bloomfield Hills. He was 93. Beginning with his arrival from Germany at age 18 in 1938, Walter was an extremely active participant in Detroit's Jewish community. From the early 1940s, he was active in Self Help, a Jewish refugee organization, and joined Gemilus Chasadim Congregation in Detroit. He met his wife, Margaret, at a Self Help dance at the Jewish Center on Woodward Avenue. He went on to Wayne University for a B.S. in chemical engineering and began working at the Ford Motor Company Highland Park plant as a chemist. In 1948, Walter founded his own business in reinforced plas- tics. He worked for 59 years in consulting and sales, finally retir- ing in 2007 at the age of 88. Walter was a founding member and president of Temple Emanu- El in Oak Park. He served as I x president of the Metro Detroit . E Federation of Reform Synagogues 1 Walter Stark and was a longtime member of the Detroit Roundtable of Christians, Muslims and Jews. He was a frequent lec- turer at the Holocaust Memorial Center, originally in West Bloomfield, now in Farmington Hills. More recently, he was an active member and choir member of Temple Beth-El in Bloomfield Township. His chanting of the Kiddush at Shabbat services was memorable. To his family and community, Walter was the role model for Jewish awareness and involvement. However, few are aware of how he had made his way to Detroit from Nazi Germany some 75 years ago. Desperate Letters In Munich in 1936, Walter's parents feared that it was no longer safe for him to attend public school. Jewish students were being taunted; ordinary citizens were being arrested; and some members of their Jewish com- munity had simply disappeared overnight without a trace. His parents decided to send him to a college prep program at the Buxton Academy in England. As an athletic and gregarious 17-year-old, Walter welcomed this opportunity to be away from home, on his own, in the comfortable social setting of a British private school. But soon, Walter became troubled by the deteriorating conditions in Germany and the safety of his family back in Munich. So he began using any spare time he had at school to write letters to anyone who could possibly help. Walter wrote scores of letters to people that his family knew and even to strangers, looking for someone who might be willing to take in his family or at least help them in their effort to escape from Germany. One of these letters reached Albert Schmidt, a recent newcom- er to Detroit, who had previously worked in Munich at the men's clothing store that Walter's family had owned. Schmidt showed this letter to his new boss, Herman Osnos, who owned Sam's Cut Rate Department Store on Woodward and Randolph in Downtown Detroit. Osnos wrote back to Walter in England and was impressed by Walter's maturity and single-mindedness. Osnos eventually agreed to provide an affidavit for Walter and his brother, Werner. This affidavit enabled them (and later their parents) to leave Germany in 1938 and to settle in Detroit. Fast forward 65 years to 1995. Walter's son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Robert and Helen Stark of Greenwich, Conn., had heard that a son of Herman Osnos, Gilbert, was living in nearby Stamford. They decided to invite the younger Osnos to the bar mitzvah of their son, David, in late March 1995. When he stopped by their house after the service, Gilbert Osnos brought with him a white packet tied up with brown string. He had found them among his father's papers earlier that year after he had moved to a nursing home. In the packet were all of the letters from 1937 between 17-year- old Walter in England and the senior Osnos in Detroit. Robert and Helen Stark pored over these letters that were writ- ten in Robert's father's schoolboy script. They could sense Walter's mounting fear and desperation in those letters, as well as his heavy sense of responsibil- ity that his family's fate might well hinge on his letter- writing efforts. These original letters were donated by the Osnos family to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. They can be seen and read at the museum in Washington, D.C. Steadfast Persistence But the real point of Walter's legacy to his family and community extends beyond these letters — or the U.S. citizenship and lives his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy in Detroit. "It's really about my father's example of steadfast persistence, his devotion to community and his abiding faith in the goodness of his fellow man," said Robert. "I am truly grateful for this and hope to draw on it for my own community involvement in future years." Walter Stark is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 67 years, Margaret; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Robert and Helen Stark of Greenwich, Conn.; daugh- ters and sons-in-law, Barbara Stark-Nemon and Dr. Barry Nemon of Ann Arbor, Joanna Stark Abramson and Jay Abramson of West Bloomfield, and Julie Stark and Rabbi Steven Stark-Lowenstein of Illinois; grand- children, Caroline and Josh Beer, Dr. David Stark and Stephen Haskell, Adam Nemon, Joshua Abramson, Jacob Abramson, Eric and Christine Nemon, Nathan Nemon, Jonathan Abramson, Benjamin Lowenstein, Noah Lowenstein, Julia Abramson; great-grandsons, Jackson Beer, Charles Beer and Connor Nemon. He was the loving brother of the late Werner Stark and the late Lilo Fauman; the dear brother-in-law of the late Joseph Fauman. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Temple Beth El, Walter M. Stark Memorial Fund, 7400 Telegraph, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, www.tbeonline.org; or Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, www.holocaustcenter.org . Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ❑ JACOB BAROFF, 89, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 23, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary Baroff; sons and daughter-in- law, Alan Baroff of West Bloomfield, and Dr. Stewart and Dianne Baroff of Commerce; grandchildren, Brandon and Kaila Baroff; sister, Miriam Baroff; niece, Terry Lewis; great-nephew, Seth Blumberg. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 20300 Civic Center Drive, #100, Southfield, MI 48076, www.alzgmc.org; or a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. MAY BAUMGARTEN, 91, of Southfield, died Jan. 25, 2013. She is survived by her son, Gary Baumgarten; daughter, Pat Meredith of Southfield; grandchildren, Lena and Tony Santacaterena, Daniel Baumgarten, Jay Meredith and Julie Baumgarten; many other relatives and friends. Mrs. Baumgarten was the beloved wife of the late Martin Jacob Baumgarten; the loving sister of the late Isadore Binder. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, 29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 1651, Southfield, MI 48034, www. leukemiamichigan.org; or to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. LESLEE "DEBBY" BLOOM, 58, of Southfield, died Jan. 21, 2013. As a child, she was a pretty little girl who loved to dress up in pink pinafores and was ready to kiss and be kissed. She grew up to be a lovely young woman, who was gentle and soft spoken and always ready to help people. She regu- larly helped two senior citizens, who became her devoted friends. Debby graduated from Southfield Lathrup High School, attended Oakland University and became a registered electrologist. Many of her patients became her friends. She loved to play tennis and to attend hockey games. She will be greatly missed. She was the younger sister of Mark Boom. She is also survived by cousins Judy and Mickey Stern; and many other loving cousins and friends. Debby was the daughter of the late Shirley and the late Louis Bloom. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Karmanos Cancer Institute, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI 48201, www.karmanos.org ; B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, www.bbyo.org/michtributes; or a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. BEN BRISKIN, 92, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 25, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Josephine Briskin; sons and daughters-in-law, Robert and Laurie Briskin of Malibu, Calif., Dr. Gary and Nancy Briskin of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Dr. Kenneth Briskin and Dr. Jill Baren of Bryn Mawr, Pa.; grandchildren, Perrie, Jamie, Lauren, Dana, Gregory, Noah and Andrew; sister, Ann Bebes. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Peter & Dorothy Brown Adult Day Care Program, 6720 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, www.jslmi.org . Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. Obituaries on page 82 Obituaries JN January 31 • 2013 81