obituaries

Obituaries from page 67

'Dave Was A Mentsh' Attorney And
Public Servant
I

David Sachs
Senior Copy Editor

ent committees of the JCC," said Rabbi
Roman. "He was the No. 1 guy if a per-
former or author needed a ride to or from
avid A. Henig was the go-to
the airport. He loved to do that to repre-
guy at Temple Kol Ami in West
sent the community positively and so that
Bloomfield.
he could learn from that person:'
"Dave was our gabbai, our
Shalom Street at the JCC
shamas, our para-professional;
honored Dave as the Temple
Kol Ami "Mitzvah Hero" for
he was on every committee
all he did for the community.
and participated in every pos-
A lover of Jewish music,
sible program and class:' said
Rabbi Norman T. Roman.
Dave sang with the Kol Ami
"The temple was his life:'
choir. He also performed
It was after attending a
with the Rochester Hills-
Torah class at the temple on
based Jackson Chorale.
Saturday morning, June 8,
Every Friday and Saturday
2013, that Mr. Henig, 69, of
night, Dave would post on
Sylvan Lake, collapsed and
the temple's Facebook page
died. He had just set up the
the time Shabbat started and
David Hen ig
chapel for morning services.
ended. He also included a
greeting for each night.
"It came as a total surprise
said Rabbi Roman.
His last greeting was Friday night, just
Mr. Henig had a unique appearance
hours before he died. It stated, "May the
from head to toe — from his braided
messengers of peace accompany you on
ponytail to his sandal-like footwear of
your way. Shabbat Shalom. May you have
Crocs without socks.
a Sabbath filled with rest and peace:'
Every year at the American Cancer
"Dave was not pretentious; he did
not look for glory," said temple member
Society Relay for Life at West Bloomfield
Martin Hollander of West Bloomfield. "He High School, he led Havdalah, said
gave all his effort, from cooking to mak-
Strome.
ing sure the Shabbat candles were ready
"The day he died, it was led in his
to be lit. He organized the ushers and
absence by our youth group members,
trained the temple shivah corps.
Cantorial Soloist Tiffany Green and Rabbi
"He was very friendly:' said Hollander,
Ariana Jaffe Silverman."
who served with Dave on the Stephen
The rabbi asked the worshipers to do
Gottlieb Music Festival committee at the
something in the next week to make the
Jewish Community Center. "He marched
world a better place.
to his own drummer, but not a loud
"Everybody knew him," said Strome.
drummer. He did not seek recognition for
"He was a good representative of Kol Ami
all his efforts:'
with the other rabbis, the Jewish commu-
Dave also had served as an administra-
nity and the interfaith community, and he
tor at Temple Kol Ami and the Michigan
aided the LGBT community through the
Board of Rabbis and served as president
Jewish Gay Network:'
of the Detroit Metropolitan Federation
Said Rabbi Roman, "With Dave gone,
of Reform Synagogues (MetFed), noted
if we're lucky, we can replace him — with
Martin's wife, Terry Hollander, a former
12 people.
president of Kol Ami and MetFed. "His
"Anything he could do to enhance and
death will leave a huge void in our lives:'
strengthen the dignity of the individual
Terry said.
and stand up for the underdog, that was
"Dave was a mentsh," said Karee Strome, his calling:'
current co-president of Temple Kol Ami.
David A. Henig is survived by his
"We're learning now all the little things he
beloved wife of 40 years, Bonnie Henig;
did that people didn't pay attention to:'
daughter, Sara (Bruce) Henig of West
Like the patriarch Abraham, said Rabbi
Bloomfield; grandson, Ethan; brother and
Roman, "Dave knew how to answer the
sister-in-law, Les (Carol) Henig; sister-
call to service with 1 lineni' 'Here I am: in-law, Cindy (Dana) Randall; brothers-
"He never said 'no: Not just at temple,
in-law, John Scholz and Peter (Wendy)
but at Federation, where he coordinated
Scholz; also survived by many loving
Torah study for the staff, and in the
nieces, nephews, other family members
interfaith community, where he was
and friends.
co-chair of the West Bloomfield Martin
Contributions may be made to the
Luther King Day annual United We Walk
URJ Camp Scholarship Fund at Temple
event. And he represented the temple as
Kol Ami, 5085 Walnut Lake Road, West
a member of the West Bloomfield Clergy
Bloomfield, MI 48323; or to a charity
Association and Community Forum.
of one's choice. Arrangements were by
"He served on probably five differ-
Dorfman Chapel.

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68 June 13 • 2013

JN

Obituaries

Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer

L

eon S. Cohan left behind a
lengthy list of impressive
accomplish-
ments and credentials
— but those who knew
him best will remember
his singular intelli-
gence, his deep sense of
honor and integrity and
his remarkable heart.
Mr. Cohan, of Ann
Arbor, a respected
attorney who served his
government, his com-
munity and his family,
died June 4, 2013, at
age 83.
Leon Cohan was born in Detroit
in 1929. After obtaining bachelor of
arts and juris doctor degrees from
Wayne University, he served as a
counter-intelligence officer in the
United States Army in Europe.
Upon his return, he practiced
law and was appointed an assistant
attorney general and, eventually,

deputy attorney general of the state
of Michigan.
Mr. Cohan spent 20 years with the
Detroit Edison Company, where he
rose to the position of senior vice
president and general
counsel.
After "retiring" in
1993, he became coun-
sel to the firm of Barris,
Sott, Denn & Driker
PLLC, concentrating on
corporate and regula-
tory law.
During his career, Mr.
Cohan received several
gubernatorial appoint-
ments, including the
State Board of Ethics
and the Michigan Council for the
Arts, where he served as chairman.
He also served on the Arts
Commission of the city of Detroit.
He was appointed by President Bill
Clinton to the advisory committee
of the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts in Washington,
D.C., and designated by Michigan
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin as chair-

'Honor And Dignity'

Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer

and he never disappointed me," said
Connie in a eulogy read by her sister
Kim McWhorter at the funeral service
erald Wolberg, 77, was a
officiated by Rabbi David Nelson, a
proud Marine veteran, a
close family friend.
skilled and trusted CPA, an
Mr. Wolberg was proud to be one of
avid marathon runner and fitness
the few Jews to serve in the Marines
enthusiast and, above
Corps, and he continued
all, a caring and devot-
to embrace those values:
ed husband, father,
exhibiting honor, bravery,
grandfather and friend.
loyalty and steadfast com-
The Huntington
mitment in his business
Woods resident died
and personal life.
June 5, 2013, after a
"Jerry was a doer, not
three-year battle with
a talker:' said Connie.
angiosarcoma, a rare
"He did random acts of
cancer of the inner lin-
kindness all the time
ings of blood vessels.
and expected nothing in
Gerald Wolber
Mr. Wolberg spent
return:'
almost 50 years with
Mr. Wolberg was an
his wife, Connie, who
active member of the
loved his kindness, his
Jewish Community Center
generous spirit and his childlike sense for more than 50 years, where he
of playfulness and mischief. The
served as a board member in various
couple got married just five months
capacities. He was a staunch sup-
after they met.
porter of the JCC's Jimmy Prentis
"I knew instinctively that he was a
Morris building in Oak Park, where
human being I could completely trust, he exercised almost daily. One of the

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