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

