obituaries

Obituaries from page XX

DR. MELVIN YOFFEE,

94, of Huntington Woods,
died Dec. 21, 2014.
Born in Glens Falls,
N.Y., to Samuel Yoffee
and Rose Diskin Yoffee,
Dr. Yoffee lived in 11
places before settling in
Yoffee
Huntington Woods for
66 years, where he served
as president of Friends of the Huntington
Woods Library.
He graduated from Central High School
in Detroit, attended Wayne State for under-
graduate studies and the University of
Michigan Dental School, graduating Phi
Beta Kappa. Dr. Yoffee began his dental
career as a U.S. Navy lieutenant in the
Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific dur-
ing World War II.
He practiced dentistry for 53 years in
Detroit and Birmingham. An avid and
skilled athlete, he played squash, hand-
ball, baseball and fast-pitch softball in his
younger years; in his retirement years, golf
and tennis. A crossword and Sudoku enthu-
siast, he busied his later years always with a
pen and paper in his hands.
Dr. Yoffee enjoyed his home woodshop,
building his office cabinetry and a custom

wooden play structure for his children.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years,
Barbara Lurie Yoffee; sons and daughters-
in-law, Murray and Chong Yoffee of New
York, Hanley and Mary-Anne Yoffee of
California; daughter and son-in-law, Kay
and Dennis Brown of California; grandchil-
dren, Risha and Michael Neil, Berry Brown
and Matthew Rosen, Ian Brown, Angela and
Gabe Borland, Christopher Bosward and
Tery Hung; great-grandchildren, Darya and
Jacob Neil, Ellie Rosen, Simon and Paisley
Borland; sister-in-law, Lois Lurie Frank.
He was the loving brother of the late Leah
Yoffee Safran and Ada Yoffee Solomon;
the dear brother-in-law of the late Hyman
Safran, the late Arthur Solomon and the
late Richard Lurie.
Services will be held sat Kaufman Chapel
on Sunday, Jan. 4, at 10 a.m. Interment will
be at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Scholarship Fund, 540 E. Liberty, Suite
204, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, www.dent.
umich.edu/alumni-friends/development/
giving; or Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, 6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, www.jewishdetroit.org .
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

Correction
• The obituary for Bernie Lis (Dec. 25)
should have indicated that he is survived
by his sister, Charlotte Milgrim.

Colorful Tzedakah Boxes
To Teach Charity To Kids
This year, a philanthropist best known
for giving out free books to children
is mailing a quarter million tzedakah
boxes to children to encourage and
spread the spirit of generosity and giv-
ing.
"Generosity of spirit is a learned trait,
taught to children by their families
and their communities and, if taught
well, benefits those communities for
generations," said Harold Grinspoon,
the founder of the Harold Grinspoon
Foundation and its flagship PJ Library
program.
The colorful, kid-friendly tzedakah
boxes are a project of PJ Library, which
distributes children's books and litera-
ture focusing on Jewish stories, customs
and values around the world in partner-
ship with local Jewish organizations.
More than 6 million books have been
distributed since 2005.
Inside each tzedakah box are four dif-

ferent card games reinforcing the prin-
ciples of giving to others in need. Some
of their messages include, "Donate
books you no longer read," "Say sorry
for mistakes," and "Don't use more
water than you need."
To learn more, visit www.pjlibrary.
org .

Jewish Museum Plans
LGBT Stories Project
The National Museum of American
Jewish History in Philadelphia is
launching "LGBT Stories: A Collecting
Project" — a new website that focuses
on Jewish Americans in the barrier-
breaking movement for gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender rights during
the 20th century and beyond.
The project invites LGBT Jews, their
families and allies to share their own
stories about LGBT advocacy and
activism. The Tumblr website makes it
easy for individuals to post images of
artifacts, links to other websites and
stories. The museum will also post
images and stories from its own artifact
collection.
For information, visit NMAJH.org or
call (215) 923-3811.

'Ali service members just want to return home:'

NOVEMBER 2014

WVVW.NFDA.ORG

WE APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK
ON THE 13 UNCLAIMED
VETERANS BURIED ON 9/11/2014

"We, of the Jewish War Veterans*
of America, wish to thank you for
your efforts to have the unclaimed
bodies properly buried.

I

I

•

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4
It's not often we see an
organization step up to honor our
deceased Veterans like you did
and we want you to know that we
sincerely appreciate it."

THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL

18325 W. Nine Mile Road Southfield, MI 48075
248.569.0020 • IraKaufman.com

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January 1 • 2015

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Obituaries