16 | APRIL 30 • 2020
before they passed, it would not be listed on
the death certificate.
“It is never easy losing a parent. Several
people have lost both parents to the COVID
virus and it is very painful for people,
”
Techner said. “What further makes it diffi-
cult is that all of our traditional norms are
pretty much out the window. I think the
hardest thing for me when I am helping a
family is when I can’t give them something
they had for generations, such as service at
the chapel, at graveside and a shivah. All of
that is pretty much gone.
”
While this is unprecedented for everyone,
including the staff at the funeral homes,
Techner understands the difficulty of los-
ing any family member and is striving to
provide as much comfort as they can to
families.
Rick Davis also lost his mother, Gladys
Davis, 90, to the coronavirus on March
21. She resided at All Seasons of West
Bloomfield.
“
At the time, this was so new to us. We
didn’t get the privilege of a shivah and just
met as an immediate family,
” Davis said.
“The tragedy of my mom’s death wasn’t that
she died because of COVID, it's because she
died during it.
”
The whole mourning and grieving pro-
cess was interrupted and completely altered
for Davis and his family. They are hoping to
have a celebration of his mother’s life down
the road, once this has subsided.
“Right now, the world has a view that
these deaths are just statistics, but this is
much more than just statistics,
” Davis said.
“We didn’t get the chance to grieve. We are
being denied because of this separation.
”
Davis remembers his mother as some-
one who could make friends anywhere she
went. He believes if they would have been
able to have a proper funeral for her, there
would have been more than 100 people
there.
“She truly collected friends, and to the
world, she was this wonderfully connect-
ed, loving, giving [person] and life of
the party,
” Davis said. “She engaged with
everyone and truly made everyone feel
great.
”
On April 9, Linda Jacob lost her father,
Marvin Talan, 93, to the coronavirus.
He was a resident at All Seasons of West
Bloomfield and was the husband of 69 years
to his wife Beverly, a father to three girls, a
grandfather and a great-grandfather.
Jacob’s mother, Beverly, 90, also contract-
ed the virus but is recovering.
“Our mourning process has been very
difficult. One because of the impact of the
virus and not being able to mourn in our
traditional ways, and it also took away the
opportunity to be with family and friends,
”
Jacob said. “Not being able to see my mom
and hug her and kiss her has been very
difficult. This whole process has been just
horrific.
”
Jacob and the rest of her family were
unable to be with their father at the time of
his passing. It was not the closure that they
were hoping for and being at the cemetery
alone and keeping their distance from one
another was not easy for anyone.
“We Zoomed the funeral to our family
and friends who couldn’t be there with us,
”
Jacob said. “The virus had taken away our
way of being able to reminisce and have
people around us to celebrate his life. We
did what we could for now, and we will
make it right when it is right in the world
to do so.
”
Jacob remembers her father as someone
who took pride in his family. He made
sure that his family was taken care of and
was always there for each and every one of
them.
“He was always warm, had a positive out-
look and everyone loved him,
” Jacob said.
“It didn’t matter who we talked to; everyone
knew that we were Marv Talan’s daughters.
He was such a people person and was so
giving. We love him.
”
The Jacob family:
Beverly, father Marvin,
Wendy, Jody and
Linda.
The Jacob Family
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LINDA JACOBS
Jews in the D
continued from page 14