obituaries

Obituaries from page 76

ROBERT SPIRO, 89, of
Oak Park, died Feb.18,
2014.
A retired corporal of
the Army Air Corps, he
was stationed stateside
during World War II. As
a teacher, he taught in
Spiro
Detroit for 30 years, at
Henry Ford Community
College for 41 years and at Schoolcraft,
Oakland Community College, Wayne State
and Rackham. He was active with Jewish
Thoughts Thru the Ages at the Oak Park
JCC and was a member of the Huntington
Woods Book Club.
Mr. Spiro is survived by his wife of 63
years, Elaine Spiro; daughters and son-in-
law, Deborah Siddiqui of Indiana, Ann and
Randy Harwood of West Bloomfield; grand-
children, Jamila Siddiqui, Adam Harwood,
Evan Harwood; care provider, Betty Mosby.
Mr. Spiro was the dear brother of the
late Adolph "Ed", the late Sadie, the late
Helen, the late Joseph, the late Andrew, the
late Alvin; dear brother-in-law of the late
Shirley and the late Dan Peisner.
Contributions may be made to Friends
of Israel Defense Forces (IDF), P.O. Box
999, Walled Lake, MI 48390; or Simon
Wiesenthal Center, 1399 S. Roxbury, Los
Angeles, CA 90035. Interment was held at

Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

RIVA THATCH, 92, of
Commerce Township,
died Feb. 17, 2014.
She was a longtime
teacher at Hillel Day
School in Farmington
Hills.
Mrs. Thatch is sur-
Thatch
vived by her daughters
and sons-in-law, Aviva
and Robert Sandler,
and Rhoda and Michael
Kamin; son, Dr. Leonard
Thatch, and his fiancee,
Karen Bell; grand-
children, Elizabeth
Sandler, Eric Sandler,
Jennifer Sandler-Bowen and Lance Bowen,
David and Jolene Kamin, and Carrie and
Christopher Swan; great-grandchildren, Ian
Sandler-Bowen and Henry Benesch Swan.
She was the beloved wife of the late
Benesch Thatch; devoted daughter of the
late Emma Markelevitsch Frank and the
late Isaac Markelevitsch; the dear sister of
the late Samuel and the late Rose Mark.
Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to the
Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard

Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LEONARD WOLSON,

87, of West Bloomfield,
died Feb. 20, 2014.
He is survived by his
beloved wife, Friedell
Wolson; daughter,
Charlene Wolson of
Waterford; sons and
Wolson
daughter-in-law, Toby
and Julia Wolson of
Miami, Fla., Merritt Wolson of Waterford;
sister, Dorothy Pleasant of Oak Park;
grandchildren, Rachel Stone, Erin Wolson,
Max Wolson, Sam Wolson, Juleigh Wolson
and Adam Wolson; great-grandchild, Fern
Stone; many loving nieces, nephews other
family members and friends.
Contributions may be made to the
Jewish War Veterans, the Holocaust
Memorial Center or to a charity of one's
choice. Interment took place at Machpelah
Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.

Correction
• The obituary for Dr. Leon Burg (Feb.
13) should have indicated that he was an
optometrist. He is survived by his wife,
Blanche Ribiat Burg.

Filmmaker Ramis
Dies At Age 69

Chicago / JTA —
Harold Ramis, an
actor, writer and
director who had
a hand in such
iconic comedies
as Groundhog Day,
Ghostbusters and
Harold Ramis
National Lampoon's
Animal House, died.
Ramis died Feb. 24, 2014, in Chicago
from complications of autoimmune
inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease
that involves swelling of the blood ves-
sels, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing
Ramis' wife, Erica. He was 69.
In addition to directing Groundhog
Day, Ramis wrote and directed
Caddyshack, National Lampoon's
Vacation and Analyze This.
As an actor, his best-known film
roles came in Ghostbusters and Stripes,
both of which he co-wrote and both
with Bill Murray.
Ramis had a Jewish upbringing,
and later immersed himself in Zen
Buddhism, according to the Tribune.

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THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL

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78

February 27 • 2014

Obituaries

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