soul
of blessed memory
40 June 6 • 2019
jn
40 June 6 • 2019
jn
HARVEY BARD, 83, of
Farmington Hills, died
May 28, 2019.
He is survived by his
beloved wife, Marcy
Bard; son, Aaron Bard;
daughter and son-in-
law, Deborah and Korey Bahash;
grandchildren, Zachary and Andrew
Bahash, Joshua and Isaac Bard; sister,
Natalie Sunshine; sister-in-law, Joanne
(Larry) Pevos. He is also survived by
his caregivers, Mary, Libra, Cindy; and
many other loving family members
and friends
Mr. Bard was the brother-in-law of
the late Albert Sunshine.
Interment took place at Workmen’
s
Circle Cemetery in Clinton Township.
Contributions may be made to the
American Heart Association or to a
charity of one’
s choice. Arrangements
by Dorfman Chapel.
DIANE BENIS, 82, of Huntington
Woods, died May 26, 2019.
She is survived by her daughter and
son-in-law, Lisa and David Stafford;
grandchildren, Joshua, Mitchell and
Molly Levin, Sara and Codi Stafford;
many other loving family members
and friends.
Mrs. Benis was the beloved wife of
the late Sheldon Benis.
Interment took place at Machpelah
Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions
can be made to the Alzheimer’
s
Association. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.
TERRY ELYSE BITTKER, 60, of
Maryland, died peacefully May
25, 2019, at MedStar Montgomery
Hospital, surrounded by her loving
family.
Terry was born on April 21, 1959, in
Michigan to Louise and James Bittker.
She had a heart of gold and lived to
bring joy to those around her. As a
social worker and volunteer, she tire-
lessly advocated to advance the rights
of those with disabilities.
Ms. Bittker is survived by her
mother, Louise Bittker; sisters, Wendy
(Jeffrey) Cossman and Cindy Bittker;
four nieces; three grandnieces; two
grandnephews; and many, many
friends.
The funeral took place at
Washington Hebrew Congregation.
Interment was at Garden of
Remembrance Memorial Park, in
Clarksburg, Md. Contributions may
be made to the Washington Society of
Jewish Deaf (wsjdeaf.org) or Gallaudet
University (gallaudet.edu).
KAREN BARRIS
BRAGMAN, 64, of
Atlanta, Ga., died on May
31, 2019.
She was born and
raised in Detroit; she
earned her undergrad-
uate degree from the University of
Michigan and then her law degree from
Wayne State Law School.
She moved to Atlanta in 1986, where
she practiced law and became a partner
with Arnall Golden & Gregory. In her
33 years with AGG, she served as the
Litigation Department Chair, a member
of the firm’
s Executive Committee and
as the Firm’
s General Counsel — the
first woman to serve in each position at
AGG. Karen loved practicing law, as did
her father and other family members,
and was deeply respected and honored
for her legal achievements.
Karen was an overachiever and com-
peted fiercely in all of life’
s endeavors.
She was an active volunteer for the
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta as
well as numerous other causes. Later
in life, Karen became an accomplished
bridge player.
She was a loving mother, a devoted
wife and loyal friend. She battled and
overcame breast cancer more than two
decades ago and would go on to serve
as president of the Atlanta Chapter of
the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She
received a new cancer diagnosis earlier
this year, unrelated to her breast cancer,
to which she ultimately succumbed.
Mrs. Bragman is survived by her hus-
band, Dr. Alan Bragman; sons, Adam
Bragman and David (Jaclyn) Bragman;
sister, Peggy (Harry) Ellman; brother,
Bill (Arlene) Barris.
Interment was at Arlington Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to
Susan G. Komen Foundation of Greater
Atlanta komenatlanta.org; sign online
guestbook: dresslerjewishfunerals.com.
Arrangements by Dressler’
s Jewish
Funeral Care, Atlanta, (770) 451-4999.
ELIHU MYRON
BROOKS, 97, of
Farmington Hills, died
May 30, 2019.
He is survived by his
beloved wife, Muriel
Wetsman Brooks;
son, Eric Brooks; daughters and
sons-in-law, Ellen and Dr. Bruce
Tabak; grandchildren, Alana, Adam,
Liza and Raquel Tabak, Zachary and
Aaron Brooks. He is also survived
by Muriel’
s family, Carol (Mark)
Leebove, Dr. Eric (Irene) Wetsman,
Amy (Phil) Gallagher, Matthew
(Becca) Leebove, Sloan Leebove,
Andrew and William Gallagher;
many other loving family members
and friends.
Mr. Brooks was the beloved hus-
band of the late Zelda Avnet Brooks;
father of the late Scott Brooks; broth-
er of the late Enid Borstein and the
late Elimina Roberts.
Interment took place at the
Great Lakes National Cemetery in
Holly. Contributions may be made
to Jewish Family Services or ORT
America. Arrangement by Dorfman
Chapel.
D
r. Paul Zeldan Kissner, 78,
of Ann Arbor, died May 12,
2019.
He was born in the Bronx, N.Y., on
Aug. 17, 1940, to Morris and Helen
(Scher) Kissner. He spent his child-
hood sneaking into Yankees games,
playing stickball and gen-
erally making his mother
nervous.
Paul spent summers on
Cape Cod playing tennis.
He graduated from New
York High School of Music
and Art in 1958; University
of Michigan, where he
played varsity tennis, in
1962; and U-M Medical
School in 1966. He served
as a physician in the U.S. Public
Health Service, Peace Corps Division,
Kingston, Jamaica, from 1967-1969.
There he learned firsthand what lep-
rosy, diphtheria and tropical disease
look like.
After completing his nephrology
fellowship at the U-M in 1974, he
practiced nephrology and taught
at Wayne County General Hospital
and the U-M until 1986. From then
until his retirement in 2015, he was
a member of the faculty at Wayne
State University School of Medicine,
practicing medicine and teaching. He
was known as a superb physician, role
model and educator.
In 1971, Paul married Dana
Gleicher Kissner, who survives him.
Together they traveled around the
world. Throughout his life, Paul easily
met and kept friends, from the neigh-
borhood in the Bronx to Jamaica and
finally the gym and swim club in Ann
Arbor.
Paul was a central and driving force
in the lives of the many he touched,
with his remarkable warmth, kind-
ness, generosity, compassion and
quirky sense of humor. He was pas-
sionate about so many things, caring
for patients, teaching students and
trainees, traveling the world, playing
tennis, swimming, ice cream, U-M
football and basketball, art and pho-
tography, and his beautiful home
where he loved to be.
His truest passion was
for the people around him.
He had a wonderful ability
to become friends with
anyone, at any time or place
and maintain the friendship
forever. After meeting new
people, he wrote down their
names and that of family
members, as well as their
concerns so he could ask
about each person by name and follow
up on their specific interests the next
time they met. He was an inspiring
and dedicated friend, husband and
father. He was an extraordinary man
who was dearly loved and is now
missed by those who knew him.
Dr. Kissner is survived by his loving
children, Sol (Patricia) and Sara; his
devoted wife and travel partner, Dana;
many dear friends, cousins, exercising
buddies from Liberty Athletic Club
and Huron Valley Swim Club; his
favorite canine companion, Chovy.
There will be a memorial service
at Ira Kaufman Chapel on Friday,
June 7, at 3:30 p.m. Contributions
may be made to Lymphoma Research
Foundation, 115 Broadway, 13th
Floor, New York, NY 10006,
lymphoma.org; University of
Michigan Musical Society, Burton
Tower, 881 N. University Ave.,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011,
ums.org/support; or Ann Arbor Art
Center, 117 W
. Liberty St., Ann Arbor,
MI 48104, annarborartcenter.org/
donation-request. Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel. ■
Passionate About People