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would have described as a "perfect" death.
I caught the first plane back to Detroit,
and where I would have assumed with all
decisions made and an escrow account rep-
resenting every detail of this pre-planned
and pre-paid funeral, there would not be
much to do, right? Wrong.
Mr. Taubman made the decisions that
guided the family and our organization with
a road map for which to honor this great
man. But the Taubman family was just get-
ting started. A meeting at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, where the
funeral would take place, brought the
Taubman principles of attention to detail to
an entirely different level. Hours of meetings
resulted in days of preparation transform-
ing Shaarey Zedek into a place that a good
friend of Mr. Taubman observed, "This is
what I imagine Heaven would look like."
Following a private burial with full
military honors, shivah was held at the
Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. If the
U-M Marching Band wasn't enough as

people walked into the hotel, the imported
food brought in from New York and the
magnificent accents of Fleur Detroit at
the Townsend, it was difficult to describe
the events of the day as anything but
"A Celebration of Life" authored by Mr.
Taubman and executed to perfection by
those who knew him and loved him.
Mr. Taubman, through this process, made
us smile. I can only imagine the smile he
had watching the proceedings, realizing that
his keen eye and his attention to detail has
been passed rdor v'dor, from generation to
generation.
In his eulogy, Rabbi Joseph Krakoff com-
mented, "Every morning, Al Taubman woke
up and asked himself, 'How can I change the
world today?' And then, Al Taubman went
out and changed the world:'
As during his life, Al Taubman continues
to teach us. His enduring lesson is that you
can never be overprepared.
May A. Alfred Taubman forever be
remembered as a blessing. *

The Taubman family monument

4.

A TIME FOR FAMILY, FAITH AND COMMUNITY
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

We wish you a long weekend of health, happiness and time together this Thanksgiving.

Twenty years at the corner of Dexter and Edison and more than half a century in our
current location, we are thankful for the privilege of serving this wonderful community.

THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL

248.569.0020 • IraKaufman.com

Bringing Together Family, Faith & Community

18325 W. 9 Mile Rd. Southfield, MI 48075

1990410

74 November 26 . 2015

JN