obituaries

BERNARD ADLER, 89, of

Camarillo, Calif., died May
29, 2015.
It is the consensus of
those who knew and loved
him that Bernie was a true
mentsh.
/ f
He is survived by his
Adler
wife
of 58 years, Joan
c. 1946
Adler; children, Dr. Jamie
Adler, and Eric and Yan
Adler; many loving nieces, nephews and
cousins.
Mr. Adler was the loving brother of the
late Dr. Marvin and the late Leona Adler;
the devoted son of the late John and the late
Fannie Adler.
Interment was at Nusach Harie Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to National
Parkinson's Foundation, 650 W. 168th St.,
New York, N.Y. 10023, www.parkinson.
org; or American Heart Association, 40 Oak
Hollow, Suite #220, Southfield, MI 48033,
www.americanheart.org . Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LEONARD W. ALKON,

92, of Huntington Woods,
died June 1, 2015.
He was the beloved hus-
band for 62 years of the
late Virginia Alkon; phe-
nomenal father of Margie
Alkon Skora and her late
Alkon
husband, Tom; Janey
Alkon; Patty Alkon Jylkka
and her husband, Jay; adored grandfather of
Steve Skora, Benjamin Jylkka and his wife,
Stefanie, Matthew Jylkka and Sarah Jylkka;
brother of Sheldon Alkon, and his wife,
Lorraine; brother-in-law of Dusty and the
late Bob Rosenthal, and the late Mary Ann
Verby; dearest uncle of Amy, Liz and Tom,
Caroline and Rob, Carol and Irwin, Peter,
Prudy and Terry, Tom, Dinah and Bill, Bob
Jr., and Judy. He is also survived by his lov-
ing and devoted caregivers, and other loving
friends and family.
Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park.
Contributions may be made to Detroit
Rescue Mission Ministries, 150 Stimson
St., Detroit, MI 48201, www.drmm.org;
Patriot Paws, 254 Ranch Trail, Rockwall, TX
75032, wwwpatriotpaws.org; or a charity of
one's choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman
Chapel.

STANLEY BERLIN, 88, of
West Bloomfield, died May
17, 2015.
He was born in Detroit
on Feb. 18, 1927, to
Maxwell and Dinah Berlin.
He joined the U.S. Navy
"\ •••
at age 16 as an under-
Berlin
aged enlistee. Mr. Berlin
retired from Arco Alloys in
Detroit, and then started working in his son-
in-law's jewelry business, Tappers Diamonds
and Fine Jewelry. He was a longtime mem-

ber of Congregation Beth Shalom.
Stan is survived by his loving wife of 65
years, Trudy (Modell); children, Susan and
Howard Tapper, Ellen and Rick Kroopnick,
Don Berlin and Debbie Langer, and Arnie
and Cheryl Berlin. He was the adoring
grandfather of Marla and Brian Young,
Mark and Leora Tapper, Jared and Michael
Kroopnick, and Hanna, Sara and Melissa
Berlin. He also was blessed with great-
grandchildren, Ari and Levi Young and
Adi Tapper. Mr. Berlin is also survived by
siblings and siblings-in-law, Larry and Jan
Berlin, Shirley Berlin, Helen Berlin, Rose
Matz, Marcia and Steve Meyers, Raechel and
Lenny Nagel, Jerry and Ella Modell; many
loving nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by siblings
and siblings-in-law, Freida and Sam Tencer,
Marian Lakin, Alvin Berlin, Jay Berlin,
Harriet Berlin, Florence and Sol Leider, Lily
Goldstein and Ben Matz.
Interment was at Beth Yehudah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to JARC, Jewish
Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, Jewish
War Veterans or a charity of one's choice.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

GLADYS BEZNOS, 87, of

West Bloomfield, died June
6, 2015.
She was a member
of Congregation Beth
Shalom. She loved boating
and was a member of the
Great Lakes Yacht Club.
Beznos
She was also a fantastic
bowler and belonged to
the B'nai B'rith Bowling League.
Mrs. Beznos is survived by her sons
and daughters-in-law, Leonard and Karen
Beznos of West Bloomfield, Marc Beznos of
Farmington Hills, Fern Beznos-Fischbach of
Aventura, Fla.; sister, Joyce Yancher; grand-
children, David Benzos and Cynthia Liu,
Carrie and Ryan Lehrman, Brooke Lipsitz,
Barrie Goldman; great-grandchildren, Ryah
Lehrman, Samantha Lehrman; other loving
family members, friends; her grandpup-
pies, Raphael Emile and Romeo Goldman
Fischbach.
Mrs. Beznos was the former wife of the
late Frank Beznos. She was the loving part-
ner and significant other of the late Richard
Schaefer; dear mother-in-law of the late Elly
Fischbach; loving sister and sister-in-law
of the late Isabelle Gallow, the late Arville
Yancher.
Contributions may be made to Children's
Hospital, do Gifts and Donations, 3901
Beaubien, Detroit, MI 48201; American
Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive,
Southfield, MI 48076; Hospice of Michigan,
989 Spaulding SE, Ada, MI 49301. Interment
was held at Machpelah Cemetery. Services
were held at the David Oppenheim Chapel at
Machpelah Cemetery.
Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial
Chapel.

A Poetic Voice At 107

Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer

M

ilton Ross lived a long, fruit-
ful life — encompassing 107
years. He was a teacher and a
prolific poet with a remarkable memory
for the people and events that touched
him during his lifetime.
Mr. Ross, of Southfield,
died June 3, 2015.
He remained mentally
alert and physically active
through his last days,
having dinner on the
last evening of his life
at the home of his son
and daughter-in-law,
Dr. Robert and Deborah
Milton Ross
Ross, where he remi-
nisced with family mem-
bers and enjoyed a hearty meal.
Born in Connecticut in 1907, Milton
moved to Detroit with his parents,
Joseph and Carolyn Rosenberg, and two
sisters, Malvern and Edith, when he was
7. The family lived above the shoe store
Joseph opened on Jefferson Avenue, and
young Milton delighted in watching the
horses that pulled the wagons at the fire
station across the street. At Southeastern
High School, he performed in many
plays, and later he attended Detroit City
College, now Wayne State University.
His love of horses continued as he
spent summers in Chicago during the
1920s as part of a citizens' military
training cavalry and, later, working as
a riding instructor at Camp Walloon
in northern Michigan. At 36, he was
drafted into the armed forces during
World War II, rising to the rank of staff
sergeant.
He received a master's degree in
speech and theater from the University
of Wisconsin and returned to Detroit to
find his calling as a high school English
and speech teacher and student theater
director. He eventually switched to the
business world, retiring in 1976 to do
tax work for the elderly, which he did
for 20 years, outliving all but one of his
clients.
While leading a weekly hiking group,
Milton met Ann Zack, a fellow hiker,
and the two were married in 1953,
beginning a 56-year union that lasted
until Ann's death in 2009.
The couple enjoyed taking Caribbean
cruises and traveling to Europe, western
Canada, Alaska and their old favorite,
Fidelman's resort in South Haven. They
enjoyed attending the theater and were
partners in bridge and ballroom danc-

ing. Milton took great pride in his son,
Robert, and, later, his grandson, Peter,
and Peter's fiancee, Holly.
"He was a great role model for a
loving marriage and for living life gra-
ciously, even when the years began to
take their toll," said Robert.
Never one to remain idle, mentally
or physically, Milton was
100 years old when he took
a poetry writing class at
Trowbridge apartments.
He wrote poems about his
family, friends and nature,
which Robert published
into a book titled Musings
of a Centenarian, or Poetry
Personified. Milton took
great pride in the book,
writing more poems in
anticipation of a second
edition.
When people asked Milton the key
to his longevity, he answered "good
genes and clean living," which included
daily 5- to 10-mile walks. He rose at
5:15 every morning, dressing carefully
in a shirt and tie for breakfast. Serving
as a testament to the benefits of red
wine, he unfailingly drank one glass of
Manischewitz every evening.
One of the highlights of his long life
was his 100th birthday party, when 80
people from all over the U.S. gathered
to honor the man who touched so
many lives. He was feted 13 times at
annual brunches for the oldest Jewish
Americans. (See related story on page 26.)
"Milton was a remarkable man who
truly got better with age," said Rabbi
Daniel B. Syme of Temple Beth El, who
officiated the funeral service.
Milton Ross is survived by his son
and daughter-in-law, Dr. Robert and
Deborah Ross; grandson, Peter Ross
and fiancee, Holly Gibson; brothers-
in-law and sister-in-law, Edward Zack,
and Albert and Ruth Zack; many loving
nieces and nephews.
He was the beloved husband of the
late Ann Z. Ross; the loving brother
of the late Malvern and the late Jack
Starkstein, and the late Edith and the
late Irving Raskin; the dear brother-in-
law of the late Sarah and the late Dr.
Michael Levin, and the late Ruth Zack.
Interment was at Beth El Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made
to Children's Hospital of Michigan
Foundation, 3901 Beaubien, Detroit,
MI 48201, (313) 745-KIDS, www.
chmfoundation.org/ways-to-help/
donate-now; or a charity of one's choice.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

❑

Obituaries on page 62

Obituaries

June 11 • 2015

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