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soul
of blessed memory
ing family; he lavished them with his
love and generosity.
In addition to Becky and Craig, Liz
and Jake embraced the love and devo-
tion of Jake’
s medical assistant, Debbie,
whom they considered their unofficially
adopted daughter. Debbie’
s ever-present,
ever-helpful, ever-caring and ever-loving
ways meant so much to Jake and Liz.
The loss of Jake was profoundly felt
by both Craig and his entire family, and
Debbie and her family. Sadly, Jake and
Liz lost their Becky in 2007, which broke
their hearts, but further cemented their
commitment to each other. The healing
presence of Craig, Debbie and their fam-
ilies helped Liz and Jake bear their loss.
Just one year later, Jake received the
difficult news of his lung cancer diag-
nosis. Miraculously, genetic testing
revealed that he would be a candidate
for a unique form of oral chemotherapy,
which allowed him a more viable qual-
ity of life. He outlived the statistics and
managed to endure far beyond expecta-
tions.
Through his decline, Jake managed
to keep his dry sense of humor, loved to
play the devil’
s advocate and regularly
journaled in his 3x5 spiral binders with
his four-colored Bic pens. He was a man
who counted on people’
s loyalty and
honesty because these were qualities
that defined him. He was secure in the
knowledge that he could always count
on Liz.
Dr. Jacob Sharp was a trusted man,
partaking in group ownership of small
aircrafts; his sailboat remains today in
the original slip he had secured so many
years ago. Despite his broad range of
interests, talents and deep intellect, Jake
was a humble man, whose basic needs
were minimal.
He leaves behind his wonderful, ador-
ing wife, Liz; his kids, Craig and Debbie;
many wonderful and loving cousins,
dear friends and colleagues, all of whom
lived large in his heart. He was loved.
ROBERT M. ZEVE, 74,
of Mt. Clemens, died
March 29, 2019.
Known endearingly
as “Dad,
” “Unc,
” “Great
Unc,
” every variation of
“Robert” and to his fra-
ternity brothers as “Heckle”
, Robert Zeve
died of natural causes March 29, 2019,
in Boca Raton, Fla., with his sister Leah
Reeves by his side.
Born Nov. 8, 1944, to Louis and
Rose (Litwak) Zeve, and raised in Mt.
Clemens, Robert grew up working
behind the counter at Litwak’
s, his fami-
ly’
s Jewish delicatessen and restaurant on
Gratiot Avenue. He learned to ride hors-
es and canoe with his cousins during a
childhood summer at Camp Ocala in
Florida.
Robert was president of the class
of 1962 at Mt. Clemens High School
and then majored at Central Michigan
University in business administration,
with minors in marketing and speech,
and later earned an M.B.A. there. At
CMU, he made friends for a lifetime
in Delta Sigma Phi. He served in the
Michigan National Guard in Sturgis,
Mich. An entrepreneur, who once ran a
soda pop shop, among other ventures,
Robert eventually settled into the medi-
cal supply business, specializing in anes-
thesia products.
A leader of the Jewish community, he
was a lifelong member of Congregation
Beth Tephilath Moses in Mt. Clemens
and fought in college for the inclusion
of Jews in fraternities. He served as an
adult adviser for the B’
nai B’
rith Youth
Organization; and, after his move in
1982 to Irvine, Calif., he volunteered at
the Jewish Community Center.
A self-described people person,
Robert worked as an ESL and substitute
teacher before moving to Boca Raton
in the early 2000s; once there, he occu-
pied himself as a handyman and driver
for older residents of his building. He
enjoyed cooking/baking for family,
friends and community, watching college
basketball with his son and coaching his
team, driving great cars and attending
family simchahs.
Mr. Zeve leaves his son, Michael Leon
Zeve; two sisters, Judith Kandell and
Leah; his good friend and former wife,
Judy (Hoyt) Carlson; loving cousins,
nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and
grand-nieces.
Contributions may be made to
Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses,
P
.O. Box 842, Mt. Clemens, MI 48046
or to a charity of one’
s choice. Graveside
services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday,
April 4, at Beth Tephilath Moses
Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
HebrewMemorial.org | 248.543.1622 | 800.736.5033 | 26640 Greenfield Rd, Oak Park, MI 48237
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