40 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 

SOUL

OF BLESSED MEMORY

c. 1956

PRISCILLA 
“PRISSY” 
BACHAIOV, 84, 
of Farmington 
Hills, died Dec. 
11, 2020.
She was a very 
talented person: a singer, 
actress, comedian and artist. 
Priscilla was a warm, lov-
ing, welcoming and fun indi-
vidual; she cooked fabulously 
and loved to feed her family 
and friends great Jewish and 
Bukharian dishes. She was 
also a talented singer and 
actress, who loved to laugh 
and entertain her family 
and friends. In addition, she 
taught bar and bat mitzvah 
classes at Temple Kol Ami 
and Hebrew at Congregation 
Beth Ahm and Congregation 
Beth Achim. 
Mrs. Bachaiov is survived 
by her children, Claire and 
Jeff Past Epstein of West 
Bloomfield, Mark Bachaiov 
of West Bloomfield, Abby 
and Randy McBride of Van 
Nuys, Calif., Sherri and Dr. 
Jerry Nosanchuk of West 
Bloomfield; brother and 
sisters-in-law, Haskell and 
Barbara Adler of Southfield, 
Sandy Adler; brother-in-law, 
Shlomo Duben; grandchil-
dren, Aaron and Kristina 
Ratajczak Epstein, Chad 
Epstein, Carli Epstein, 
Jacob Taft, Ruthy McBride, 
Charley McBride, Max 
Nosanchuk; great-grand-
children, Elizabeth Epstein, 
Alana Epstein; many nieces, 
nephews, cousins, friends and 
many others who called her 
“Bubbie” out of love. 
Mrs. Bachaiov was the 
devoted daughter of the late 
Cantor Hyman Adler and the 
late Ruth Adler; dear moth-
er-in-law of the late Alan 
Epstein; loving sister and 
sister-in-law of the late Shana 
Duben, the late Usher Adler. 
Contributions may be 
made to Hebrew Benevolent 

Society, a charity of one’s 
choice, or Chabad of 
Commerce. A graveside ser-
vice was held at B’nai Israel 
Memorial Gardens in Novi. 
Arrangements by Hebrew 
Memorial Chapel.
 
STEVEN BENJAMIN 
BAKER, 52, of Bedford, 
Texas, died Dec. 13, 2020. 
He was known as the 
“Cookie Man” for his baking 
gourmet cookies and his dis-
tribution of them to friends 
and teachers at Marsha and 
Robert’s school. 
Mr. Baker is survived by 
his wife of 25 years, Marsha 
Baker; son, Robert Ross; 
brothers and sisters-in-law, 
Brian and Barbara Baker, 
Michael and Rachel Baker; 
mother-in-law, Elaine Beresh. 
He was the loving son of 
the late David and the late 
Ruth Baker; dear son-in-law 
of the late Larry Beresh.
Contributions may be made 
to The Shul, 6890 W. Maple 
Road, West Bloomfield, MI 
48322; or Jewish Senior Life, 
6710 W. Maple Road, West 
Bloomfield, MI 48322. A 
graveside service was held 
at Adat Shalom Memorial 
Park Cemetery in Livonia. 
Arrangements by Hebrew 
Memorial Chapel.
 

SALLY ANN 
(ROSENBLOOM) 
BELSON, of 
Delray Beach, Fla., 
formerly of 
Southfield/
Bloomfield Hills, passed away 
peacefully on Dec. 9, 2020, 
with her loving family and 
friends by her side. 
Sally grew up in Southfield, 
attended Southfield High 
School, Eastern Michigan 
University, University of 
Michigan and Wayne State. 
earning bachelor of arts and 
master’s in social work. 
She met and married the 

J

udge Alice Lee Gilbert, 88, 
of Bloomfield Hills, died 
Dec. 9, 2020. 
“Trailblazer” is the most fitting 
moniker attributable to Judge 
Alice Lee Gilbert. Her trailblazing 
cut across many paths, and the 
paths she blazed are more aglow 
now than ever. Back when the 
glass ceiling was made of marble, 
she smashed all gender barriers.
Growing up in the Chicago 
area, she resolved that she would 
attend the best college possible 
and moved across the country. 
Majoring in political science and 
economics, she attended Wellesley 
College, leaving in her last year 
for Northwestern Pritzker School 
of Law. Judge Gilbert was a life-
long learner, and her post-grad-
uate studies included work at 
the Harvard Graduate School 
of Public Administration (now 
Harvard Kennedy School), Wayne 
State University Law School 
(Go Warriors [then Tartars]!), 
University of Detroit Law School, 
University of Michigan (Go 
Blue!) and several courses at the 
National Judicial College at the 
University of Nevada, Reno.
Her trailblazing continued in 
law school, where she was just one 
of two women. She was a bright 
and determined lawyer who 
resolved to make her mark and go 
her own way. Bucking all custom, 
when she married she maintained 
her surname and in 1957 sued 
to practice law under her given 
surname rather than her married 
name.
Out of the courtroom, she 
was a founding member of the 
Michigan chapter of the National 
Organization for Women, the first 
female member of the Oakland 
County Bar Association and a 
founder of the Oakland County 
Women’s Bar Association. Judge 
Gilbert became the third woman 

elected as a circuit 
court judge in the 
history of the state 
of Michigan and 
the first in Oakland 
County.
Over the course 
of her career, she presided over 
110,000 cases. As impressive a 
resume as that is, it hardly reveals 
the woman. She was a voracious 
traveler, including climbing the 
Andes Mountains and going on 
expeditions to Norway, Sweden, 
Denmark, England, France, Italy, 
Egypt, Israel, Russia, China and 
Africa.
She remarked to a newspaper, 
“I started with a philosophy that 
I have one goal — living my life. 
That’s family and career. I never 
divided it,
” 
Judge Gilbert was the 
beloved wife of the late Murray 
P
. Greenblatt and the late Dr. 
Herbert J. Bloom; cherished 
mother of Gwen Gilbert, Greg 
(Carolynn) Gilbert and Dean 
(Christina) Greenblatt; loving 
grandmother of Ariel Zekelman, 
Leah Zekelman, Jonah Zekelman, 
Andrew Gilbert, Jennifer 
(Michael) McManus, Julia Gilbert, 
Katherine Greenblatt, David 
Greenblatt and Allison Greenblatt; 
sister of the late Henry Gilbert; 
daughter of the late Rebecca 
and the late Alfred Gilbert. She 
is fondly remembered by many 
friends and colleagues.
Interment was at Machpelah 
Cemetery. Contributions may 
be made to Jewish Hospice 
& Chaplaincy Network, 6555 
W
. Maple, West Bloomfield, 
MI 48322, jewishhospice.
org; or Holocaust Memorial 
Center, 28123 Orchard Lake 
Road, Farmington Hills, MI 
48334, holocaustcenter.org. 
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman 
Chapel.

Leader in the Law

Alice Gilbert

