running down the hall and
banging on the door” when
she’
s with clients. Debra and
Richard Partrich of Bloomfield
Hills, a retired property man-
ager and an attorney, seem to
relish their new role managing
feeding, naptime, play time and
more.
“We had a choice. We could
be locked down and make this
the worst time and be miserable
— or we could make it the best
of times,
” Richard Partrich says.
“[Taking care of Isaac] was a
great opportunity. We’
re having
a blast with him. We would
never had had this opportunity
otherwise.
”
In West Bloomfield, Lauren
Taylor is preparing to reopen
her licensed family daycare,
Miss Lauren’
s, in the next few
weeks. Her in-home business
remained open at first to help
essential workers but closed as
more people began working
from home. She typically cares
for six children each day, ages 3
months to 3 years, and has been
in business for 31 years.
“It’
s a tough situation,
” she
says. “I’
ve heard from some par-
ents that one parent has decided
not to go back to work right
now. And then I have some par-
ents who are just scrambling.
”
When she does reopen,
Taylor will be following CDC
guidelines for sanitizing, dis-
infecting and handwashing.
Parents will no longer be per-
mitted inside the house. Drop
off times will be staggered.
There will be a checklist for
families to fill out and tempera-
tures will be taken at the door.
Cots have been spaced six feet
apart.
“Still, there are families that
are not so ready to return to
daycare because there’
s fear.
There’
s so much uncertainty,
”
she says. “I feel pretty confident
that I’
m going to be able to
maintain the proper protocols
because we’
re a small group.
”
The daily dilemma of what to
do is not likely to end anytime
soon. The upcoming school
year is a big question mark as
well.
“I know personally there are
many concerns about what
school will look like this fall,
”
Cline, the mother of triplets,
said. “If children are attending
on alternate schedules, I know
I’
ll certainly need care for my
children.
”
R
achel Fox celebrated
her 105th birthday on
Thursday, June 11, outside
of the Fleischman building, sur-
rounded by Jewish Senior Life
(JSL) workers, and was surprised
with a parade of cars driven by
her family and a visit from the
West Bloomfield police and fire
departments.
Fox was not only celebrating
this milestone birthday, she was
also rejoicing in the fact that she
beat COVID-19. Fox was diag-
nosed with the novel coronavi-
rus back in April, but had only a
mild case.
This is the second
pandemic Fox has lived
through. When she was just
three years old, the Spanish
Flu, or the 1918 flu pandemic,
had broken out worldwide.
She also lived through the
polio epidemic.
“The 1918 pandemic and the
polio [were] worse than this
pandemic,
” Fox said. “They just
couldn’
t do anything for the
people before they got sick. Now
they can help them.
”
Born in Montreal in 1915,
Fox has moved multiple times
throughout her life, includ-
ing North and South Dakota,
Wisconsin and Minnesota. She
married her husband, Sidney, in
Minneapolis and then moved to
Detroit because there were more
jobs here, settling in Plymouth to
raise her son, Michael. Fox now
has two grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren.
“I’
m glad I did turn 105. I
hope anyone reaching my age is
well and can enjoy their kids and
grandkids,
” Fox said. “Enjoying
them is the best. I am very grate-
ful for my family.
”
After her grand entrance
surrounded by JSL workers, her
family drove around the circle
with their decorated cars, honk-
ing their horns while Fox waved
to them. Afterwards, Fox was
surprised with another parade of
West Bloomfield police officers
and the fire department who
came in with their sirens and
lights flashing.
The officers then got
out of their cars and
wished Fox a happy birth-
day, serenading her with
the ”Happy Birthday” song.
Fox is the oldest resident
that Fleischman has ever had,
according to Mary Blowers, pro-
gram coordinator at Fleischman
Residence. Her secret to living
a long, prosperous life? Always
remember to be happy.
“You should live your life and
be happy with what you have.
Don’
t look at others with jealou-
sy. Look at what you have,
” Fox
said. “I have had some hardships,
but I look at the good things I
have, and they make me happy.
That is how I lived my life.
”
24 | JUNE 18 • 2020
CHILDCARE continued from page 22
Debra and Richard Partrich with their grandson, Isaac
COURTESY OF ROSE GARBER
Jews in the D
COVID-19 Survivor
Turns 105, With Plenty
To Celebrate
Rachel Fox has lived through
two pandemics.
CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER