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. 

