56 | FEBRUARY 20 • 2020
Soul
of blessed memory
ALLISON JACOBS DIGITAL EDITOR
E
zra Lev Seegull,
a 19-year-old
sophomore at the
University of Michigan,
died Wednesday, Feb. 13,
2020. He is survived by his
parents, Larry and Diane
Seegull; his sibling, Ronen
Seegull; grandparents, Linda
and Edwin Seegull, Viviane
Cohen and Albert Lichaa;
his aunts and uncles, Dina,
David, Eileen and Ethan; and
cousins, Brandon, Logan,
Naomi and Aliza.
Seegull was enrolled
in U-M’
s Ross School of
Business and had an interest
in marketing and consult-
ing. He served in multiple
leadership roles at U-M
Hillel, serving on the 2019
Freshman Retreat leader-
ship and planning team and
as co-leader of the Hillel
Outdoor Adventure Club,
where he touched the lives of
students and faculty with his
sense of humor and insight-
ful nature.
“Ezra was a dear friend to
so many in our Hillel com-
munity,” U-M Hillel lead-
ership wrote in a statement
posted to its website Feb.
13. “Many of you knew him
as a thoughtful, interested
student, with a passion for
the outdoors and business
consulting, and a great sense
of humor and smile.”
In his hometown of
Baltimore, Seegull attend-
ed Beth Tfiloh Dahan
Community School, where
he was involved with Model
U.N., mock trial and the
school newspaper. He also
was passionate about the
outdoors and enjoyed spend-
ing time with his family.
A memorial gathering was
held on Thursday evening,
Feb. 13, at Hillel for students
and staff. Hillel is partner-
ing with U-M’
s Counseling
and Psychological Services
(CAPS) to make counsel-
ors available to students at
the center; and Hillel staff
members are also offering
ongoing support to students.
Hillel will be setting up a
website for students to share
stories about Seegull.
Funeral services were
held at Sol Levinson &
Bros. Levinson Chapel in
Pikesville, Maryland, on
Friday, Feb. 14. The family
has asked that contribu-
tions in his memory be
sent to Beth Tfiloh Dahan
Community School, 3300
Old Court Road, Baltimore,
MD 21208.
Student
Active in
U-M Hillel
Dies
Ezra Lev Seegull
COURTESY OR VICHNIZER
In Good Hands
Catholic family has long tradition of
maintaining Machpelah Cemetery.
P
aul Saville, gen-
eral manager
of Machpelah
Cemetery in Ferndale,
said when he was a kid,
he and his siblings were
always looking for a job.
He comes from a Catholic
family of seven boys and
one girl, including two
sets of twins.
A 1977 Ferndale High
School graduate, Saville
felt fortunate the follow-
ing year when a family
friend, Fred Mack, then-super-
intendent of Machpelah, offered
him a summer job. Getting
hired full-time brought him
the opportunity to bring other
family members on board at the
nearly 108-year-old Jewish cem-
etery on Woodward.
The Savilles have a combined
80 years of service between
them, guessed Paul, 61, who
lives at the back of the prop-
erty with his wife, Kim, and
sons, Paul Jr. “PJ” and Kevin.
Everyone works at Machpelah,
as did daughter Samantha for
six years.
Romance bloomed at
Machpelah for the Savilles.They
met when Kim assisted her
mother with the seasonal job of
planting flowers and have now
been married for 28 years. Kim
is in the office with manager
Martina Murphy. Several Saville
brothers worked here, but only
12-year employee Larry con-
tinues. After he retired, father
Harry Saville worked 10 years
at Machpelah before his death
in 2000.
During Harry’
s burial at
Oakview Cemetery in Royal
Oak, the Savilles took turns
tossing three shovelfuls of dirt
on top of his casket. It’
s a Jewish
tradition “we carry on in our
family,
” Paul said. The Savilles
respect and fulfill all the duties
and traditions associated with
maintaining a Jewish cemetery.
“I love it here,
” said Paul, who
also handles the cemetery’
s
plumbing and electrical equip-
ment repairs. “Every time I walk
around, I find history in the
names and dates on headstones.
If I come across a war veteran,
I’
ll Google his name. We have
someone who received the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
“Machpelah is one of the few
cemeteries that still dig half
of the graves by hand because
some of the areas are too tight
to get a backhoe into,
” added
Paul. Son PJ, 26 and 6-foot-6, “is
taking over a lot of what I do.
He carries the biggest part of the
load.
”
Paul recently told “our great
board” that he is retiring in
2023. That early notice should
give the nonprofit Machpelah
Cemetery Association “enough
time to find someone to fill my
shoes, so the cemetery will stay
in good hands.
”
ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COURTESY OF THE SAVILLE FAMILY
Larry, Kim,
Kevin, Paul and
Paul Jr. Saville