40 | JANUARY 2 • 2020 Soul of blessed memory celebrate with pride, things of her own doing. ” Willis never studied music. “I’ m untrained, ” she said in the 2018 JN cover story. “The only music lessons I had was that on Saturdays I’ d have my parents drop me off at the Motown house [on West Grand Boulevard]. I’ d sit on the grass and listen to what they were doing inside. If I didn’ t grow up in Detroit, I probably wouldn’ t be a song- writer.” In 2018, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But songwriting was far from her only pas- sion, according to a New York Times story. She was well known as a collector of kitsch, and her pink 1937 Los Angeles home housed her collection of candy-colored ephemera, cataloged online at her Museum of Kitsch. Willis herself was a work of art, easily recognized because of her signature hair- cut — long on one side and much shorter on the other — and her colorful outfits. Her passions also included making art (the walls of her home are lined with works by Bubbles the Artist, her alter ego), the internet (in the ’ 90s she developed her own social network of sorts, called Willisville) and host- ing wild parties that drew a fascinating cross section of Hollywood, the story said. “I met Allee in the early 1980s through another fel- low Detroiter, Jim Budman, ” said Southfield native Stan Zimmerman, a TV producer in L.A. “He got me invited to one of Allee’ s famous parties. Allee was always the life of any party, and the best party hostess in Hollywood. Her gatherings were legendary, from her famous all-girl (except me filming) pajama parties to her backyard party supporting Detroit Mosaic Theatre. “One of my favorite mem- ories of her, was our trip together back to Detroit. She took me to her old house that she had grown up in. She loved everything about Detroit, she was the city’ s biggest fan! “The light in my life will certainly be dimmer without Allee in it,” Zimmerman said. “But, lucky for all of us, her music and, more importantly, her spirit will live on forever.” While Willis continued writing songs and music, in recent years she focused on performing one-wom- an shows and curating her museum-home, known as Willis Wonderland. But she never lost her curiosity and ambition to do as much as possible, the Times story said. “I want to do more things that involve everything I do: the music, the art, the tech- nology, the social aspect of things,” she told the Times last year. “Life is too short, and I am too tired!” Willis is survived by Prudence Fenton, her “part- ner and soulmate;” brother, Kent Willis; sister, Marlen Frost; and niece, Mandy Becker. JN Contributing Writers Lynne Konstantin, Julie Yolles, Adam Finkel and Esther Allweiss Ingber added to this story. To read more, go to thejewishnews.com and search for Allee Willis. ALLEE WILLIS continued from page 39 SARAH DEITCH, 96, of West Bloomfield, died Dec. 18, 2019. She is survived by her sons and daugh- ters-in-law, Howard Deitch and Melissa Soble, and Dr. Jeffrey and Marsha Deitch; daughter and son-in-law, Renee and Ronnie Forman; grandchildren, Charles Barr, Deanna Forman, Jayme Forman, Erin and Ray Fleshman, Kati Eisenberg, Dorin Deitch, Drake Deitch and his fiancee, Zoe Sims, and Dylan Deitch; great-grandson, Ben Fleshman. Mrs. Deitch was the beloved wife of the late Charles Deitch; the cherished mother of the late David Deitch. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Northwest Child Rescue Women, 6600 W . Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation, 2000 Oakley Park Road, #104, Walled Lake, MI 48390, michiganjew- ishsports.org; Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W . Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org; or to a charity of one’ s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. STEWART LEVIN, 84, of Pleasant Ridge, died Dec. 16, 2019, peacefully at home in the arms of his beshert, following numerous health issues culminat- ing with an untreatable infection. He was born in Jackson to Murray and Sarah Levin. Mr. Levin loved his home in Pleasant Ridge and its village of friends and neighbors. A people-person, he was the con- summate salesman, initially of women’ s clothing then in the residential building industry. He loved Jewish learning. His wife, Suzanne, was extraor- dinarily aided in caring for Stewart during his final days by Hospice of Michigan and the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. He is survived by his “precious” wife of 20 years, Suzanne Levin; his children, Dawn Levin of Denver, Bradley (Jocelyn Baldwin) Levin of West Bloomfield and Craig Levin of Clawson; Suzanne’ s children, Jordan Lowy, Adam Lowy and Shira Rutman, all of San Franscisco, Todd and Taal Hasak-Lowy of Evanston, Ill.; his “son from another mister, ” Keith Buchanan of Pleasant Ridge. He was the adoring proud Saba of Ariel Hasak-Lowy, Noam Hasak- Lowy, Irit Rutman-Lowy and Micah Rutman-Lowy. He is also survived by his sister, Jacqueline Carter; niece, Stephanie Bachelor; and nephew, Gregory Carter; Suzanne’ s extended family and a world of study partners and friends. Contributions may be made to the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, 85 Revere Drive, Suite J, Northbrook, IL 60062, meltonschool.org; or Detroit Friends of Adult Jewish Learning, (JLearn and Melton), 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 105, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. DIEGO MESA, 78, of West Bloomfield, died Dec. 17, 2019. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Doris Mesa; sons and daughters-in-law, Manuel and Rachel Mesa, and Daniel and Melissa Mesa; grandchildren, Noah, Jacob, Benjamin, Elan and Jordana Mesa; sister, Carmen Fredes. Mr. Mesa was the dear brother- in-law of the late Raul Fredes. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Temple Beth El, 7400 Telegraph, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, tbeonline.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.