48 | FEBRUARY 27 • 2020

A Kind and Generous Patriar
ch

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A

rnold J. Shifman was
a dedicated lawyer,
a passionate activist
and, above all, a beloved hus-
band, father and grandfather.
He generously opened his
heart, his home and his wallet
to those in need, earning the
admiration of his clients and
his community.
“
Arnie” Shifman, who lived
in Huntington Woods with
his wife, Elaine, died Jan. 22,
2020. He was 85.
According to his daughter,
Missy Bean, Arnold’
s philos-
ophy could be summed up by
the advice he gave his chil-
dren. “He told us to ‘
be kind,
assume the best, help people
cross the street and vote for
Democrats.’
”
As a lawyer, he did far
more than resolve his clients’

legal issues. He located their
long-lost relatives, invited
them for family dinners and
helped them find health
care and other resources. He
loaned money freely, even
taking over the mortgage of
an elderly client who was
about to lose his home. He
often accepted a tray of bak-
lava or a basket of pomegran-
ates in lieu of money.
“He helped hundreds of
clients over the years for free,”
Bean said. “My dad believed
everyone deserved help,
whether they could pay or
not.”
Never one to pass up a
bargain, he once bought two
school buses and a fire truck
because the deal was too
good to pass up. All his kids
remember riding in it during
the Oak Park July 4 parade.
And, true to his character, he
kept a bus in the parking lot
of his Royal Oak law office
for homeless people who had

nowhere to spend
the night.
“He was a cham-
pion of the under-
dog who never
abandoned the
ideals of the ’
60s of
equality and justice
for all,” said cousin
Alan Goldberg
during the funeral
service. “He was a
patriarch with an enormous
heart and an even larger
sense of humor.”
Arnold grew up in Detroit,
where he attended Central
High School. After graduating
from University of Michigan,
he earned his juris doctor at
Detroit College of Law.
He was the chief assistant
prosecutor for Oakland
County in the late ’
60s and
early ’
70s, before opening a
general law practice in Royal
Oak. He also served as city
attorney for the city of Hazel
Park.
He was a founding board
member of the Hazel Park
Promise Zone, a program that
provided free college tuition
for graduating high school
students. For 12 years, he was
an active and highly regarded
member of the Berkley Board
of Education.
“He always knew to do
the right thing, to act with
generosity and kindness and
see the humanity in every
single person and to do what
he could to make the world a
better place,” said his daugh-
ter Pamela Shifman at the
funeral service.
On his first date with
Elaine, they spent the entire
night talking as they strolled
through Palmer Park. By
morning they were engaged,
beginning a 58-year partner-

ship filled with love,
humor, respect and
a mutual commit-
ment to improving
the lives of those
less fortunate.
“The home they
created was sacred;
it was an open tent
for all who needed
respite and warmth,”
said Rabbi David
Nelson, who officiated the
service.
Together, they raised four
children, teaching them by
example to give back, help
others and stand up for their
beliefs. As the family grew,
Arnold and Elaine became
proud and doting grandpar-
ents.
“He taught me that hap-
piness was more important
than winning or losing,” said
grandson Adam Edery.
Arnold was a loyal friend,
and his relationships were
meaningful and long lasting.
In college, he and several
fraternity brothers formed a
poker club that lasted more
than 60 years. A group he
met through Weight Watchers
two decades ago continued to
meet every Sunday morning
at Arnold’
s office for bagels
and donuts, forgetting about
their diets and enjoying the
time together.
A lifelong runner who
aspired to run a marathon,
Arnold fulfilled this goal in
Chicago at age 61 and again
in New York two years later.
He was always ready to
bring his next business idea
to fruition; opening a flea
market on Dixie Highway,
selling everything from
fireworks to Jordache jeans;
and launching the original
“Elaine’
s Bagels” in Troy with

close friend Paul Groffsky.
“He was radically passion-
ate about his community, his
country and, above all else,
his family,” Goldberg said.
“He was a patriarch with an
enormous heart and an even
larger sense of humor.”
Arnold Shifman is survived
by his beloved wife, Elaine
Shifman; cherished children,
Andy (Gina) Shifman, Steve
(Valerie) Shifman, Missy
(David) Bean and Pamela
(Lee Schere) Shifman; loving
grandchildren, Holly, Jill,
Jordan and Joshua Shifman,
Maya and Adam Edery, and
Anabel Bean; devoted sib-
lings, Burton (Susan) Shifman
and Marilyn (the late Dennis)
Aaron; and in-laws, Stephen
(Audrey) Wittenberg,
Howard Wittenberg and
Mollie Wittenberg; He is
also survived by many loving
nieces, nephews, cousins and
a world of friends.
He was the devoted son
of the late Jean and the late
Joseph Shifman and the
loving son-in-law of the late
Gertrude and the late Robert
Wittenberg.
Interment was at
Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be
made to Berkley Education
Foundation, 14501 Talbot,
Oak Park, MI 48237,
berkleyedfounda tion.org/
support-the-bef/, (248)
837-8000; Children of
Incarcerated Parents, 13560
E. McNichols, Detroit, MI,
48205, (586) 690-1431,
pureheartcares.org; Focus
Hope, 1355 Oakman Blvd.,
Detroit, MI, 48238, (313)
494-5500, focushope.edu; or
to any Democratic candidate.
Arrangements by the Ira
Kaufman Chapel.

Arnold Shifman