MARCH 26 • 2020 | 47
Soul
of blessed memory
A Community Stalwart with a Kind
and Generous Heart
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
R
ita Haddow was an inspi-
rational leader, devoted
wife and mother and
generous supporter of many
causes. A stalwart of the Detroit
Jewish community, Rita passed
away on March 13, 2020, leaving
a long legacy of philanthropy
and service. She was 93.
Rita was born in Detroit, the
second child of Irwin I. and
Sadie Cohn, community leaders
in their own right. Growing
up, she went to Winterhalter
Elementary School, Durfee
Junior High and Central High
School, graduating in 1944.
She attended the University of
Wisconsin and Wayne State
University, where she studied
drama and began a lifetime
love of theater and the arts.
She acted in college and during
her adult life, appearing on the
Michigan-based television show
Divorce Court and in community
theater productions at the Jewish
Community Center.
Her flair for acting made her
a talented storyteller and public
speaker who captivated audienc-
es of all sizes with her entertain-
ing tales and signature sense of
humor. She had a gift of making
whomever she was with at the
time, whether family, friends or
new acquaintances, feel like the
most important person in the
room. Her sense of humor, kind-
ness, compassion, laughter and
love enriched the lives of every-
one who knew her.
In 1948, Rita married Jay M.
Kogan, and together they had
four children, manifesting their
desire to help rebuild the Jewish
population after the devastating
losses of WWII.
They enjoyed dancing,
travel and fam-
ily celebrations
and, when their
marriage ended
in divorce, they
maintained a close
friendship.
On a trip to
Spain with three
of her children,
Rita met John
Haddow, an insurance industry
executive living in New York
City. Over the next year, she
made many trips to Manhattan
under the guise of shopping for
a dining table. While she never
found that table, she did find
love, and Rita and John were
married in 1971. She embraced
John’
s children, Jeff and Jack,
and was happy to see her family
grow once more. Together, they
created a rich and fulfilling life,
filled with service to the Jewish
community, travel, and a love of
creatures large and small. After
spotting a white rhinoceros on a
trip to Africa, Rita became pas-
sionate about collecting rhinos.
From small table pieces to sculp-
tures and larger works of art, her
collection grew to include close
to 1,000 rhinos in every imagin-
able size and material.
Rita always remained proud
of her Detroit roots and was a
fervent believer in giving back
to her community. She was a
member of Hadassah, National
Council of Jewish Women, a
board member of the Jewish
Community Center (with a
particular interest in the JET
Theatre), a board member of
JARC, a docent at the Detroit
Zoological Society, and an active
participant and contributor to
the Jewish Federation of Metro
Detroit. She contrib-
uted significantly to
the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation
and said she would
give anything to help
find a cure for the
disease that afflicted
her grandson Josh
and other children.
In 2019, she
was honored as a recipient of
Jewish Senior Life’
s Eight over
Eighty Tikkun Olam Award. In
a video created for the award
(youtu.be/68BjqYMoFmQ), she
expressed her enthusiasm for
serving the community that had
given her so many opportunities.
The only thing that surpassed
her dedication to her community
was her devotion to her family.
Her sons and daughters
remember their mother as “a
constant champion and cheer-
leader who loved her children,
grandchildren and great-grand-
children passionately and uncon-
ditionally.
”
Rita filled the household with
stories, jokes and songs her
children have since passed on to
their own children and grand-
children. She sewed Halloween
and Purim costumes by hand
and created memorable charac-
ters like Susabelle Pridgett, head
of the Clean Plate Club. She
enjoyed taking her children and
grandchildren on adventures
around town and across the
world.
She emphasized the value of
tzedakah, how giving back to
others opened up a universe of
possibilities. She loved nothing
more than giving something
away to someone she cared
about.
According to her children,
“Mom taught us how to laugh,
how to cry, how the forgiveness
of others opens your heart. She
taught us to treat everyone with
dignity and respect, regardless of
the color of their skin, country of
origin, gender, love preference or
profession.
”
Rita Haddow is survived by
her children, Lauren (Marvin)
Daitch, Amy (Steve) Coyer,
Dr. Seth (Vicki) Kogan, Mark
(Betsy) Kogan, Jeffrey (Miyako
Yoshinaga) Haddow and John
“Jack” (Nina) Haddow; loving
stepchildren, Joshua and Erica
Daitch; brother, Judge Avern
Cohn; grandchildren, Rebecca
(Ari Grief) Liss, Joshua (Dr.
Claudine) Liss, Emily Kogan,
Michael Kogan, Alexander
Kogan, Benjamin Kogan, Eli
Kogan, Barrett Haddow and
Jordyn Haddow; great-grand-
children, Liza Liss and Lev Liss,
Spencer and Ayla Daitch, Karen
Daitch. In her later years, Rita
was supported by her devot-
ed and loving caregiver Coral
Washington and her precious
pooch Violet.
Contributions in memo-
ry of Rita Haddow may be
directed to Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation, 24359
Northwestern Highway, Suite
125, Southfield, MI 48075,
(248) 355-1133, jdrf.org; Detroit
Zoological Society, 8450 W
.
10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI
48067, (248) 541-5717, detroit-
zoo.org; JARC, 6735 Telegraph
Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, (248) 940-2617,
jarc.org; or a charity of one’
s
choice.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman
Chapel.
Rita Haddow
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