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practice in 1990, which gave him 
more time to devote to a variety 
of intellectual pursuits. He began 
writing poetry, and he and his 
wife, Joann, expanded their travels 
to include Vietnam, Russia and 
Africa. His adventures also includ-
ed frequent visits with his children 
— a fishing trip in Alaska with his 
son and grandson, camping in the 
Utah desert with his daughter and 
numerous family ski trips to the 
Rocky Mountains.
His favorite camping partner 
was his younger son, Andrew. The 
two loved to camp out in Northern 
Michigan, to fish, hike and view 
the Northern Lights. Andrew and 
his father shared an interest in the 
Boy Scouts. Dr. Chalat had made 
Eagle Scout in 1941. Andrew was 
pushing toward that goal in 1977 
when, at the age of 15, he died 
from an undiagnosed congenital 
heart defect. This was a crushing 
blow to Ned and Joann, but they 
turned their sorrow into a renewed 
commitment to the community.
Throughout his life, social activ-
ism kept Dr. Chalat engaged. His 
energy and leadership abilities 
propelled him to the head of sev-
eral organizations including the 
Prismatic Club of Detroit, Friends 
of the Grosse Pointe Library, the 
Ann Arbor Culinary History 
Society and the Grosse Pointe 
Men’s and Women’s Garden Club.
One of the high points of 
Dr. Chalat’s retirement came in 
September 2000, when he and 
Joann donated a rare collection of 
illustrated children’s books to the 
University of Michigan Library 
where they were honored with a 
special event. On the same week-
end, they celebrated the publication 
of Ned’s collection of poetry, 
Love, ‘N’.
Dr. Chalat was a regular attend-
ee at the Grosse Pointe Men’s 
Ecumenical Breakfast for which, 
on Oct. 18, 2012, he wrote and 
delivered a prayer that said, in part: 
“Lord God, we thank you for our 
ancestors who had the foresight to 
establish a government that glo-

rifies equality among races, color, 
religions and sexuality. Perhaps, 
most of all, we thank you for the 
gift of love with family, children 
and friends. Amen.
”
Dr. Chalat’s life, both personal 
and professional, was guided by 
the principles of compassion and 
equality, values that are under-
scored in Jewish teachings. Jewish 
tradition also suggests the best 
way to remember a loved one is to 
carry on their legacy. Those whose 
lives were touched by Dr. Chalat in 
some way are asked to honor him 
by continuing his efforts.
Dr. Chalat is survived by his 
son, Jim (Linda Chalat); daughter, 
Nancy (Tom Noaker); grandchil-
dren, Alexandra Chalat Pearson 
(Jonny Pearson), Rachel Chalat 
Steudle (Brett Steudle), Grace 
Chalat, Harris Chalat (Sofia 
Panero), Dylan Noaker; his 
great-grandson, Finnigan Steudle. 
He was preceded in death 
by his beloved wife of 65 years, 
Joann Steinberg Chalat, whom he 
referred to as his “muse;” his sister, 
Ruth; and son, Andrew.
Dr. Chalat will be interred 
during a private ceremony at Beth 
El Memorial Park in Livonia. Due 
to the pandemic, his family will 
host a virtual shivah at a time to be 
announced and a memorial event 
later in the year.
In lieu of flowers, consider con-
tributing in Dr. Chalat’s memory 
to the charity of your choice. Some 
of the organizations that Dr. and 
Mrs. Chalat supported include: the 
University of Michigan Medical 
School, Michigan Humane Society, 
Doctors without Borders, the 
Wayne State University School 
of Medicine, the NAACP
, Heifer 
International and the American 
Red Cross. Remembrances can 
be sent to: Jim Chalat, 33212 
Meadow Mtn. Road, Evergreen, 
CO 80439, jchalat@chalatlaw.com; 
or Nan Chalat Noaker, P
.O. Box 
98, Oakley, Utah 84055, nanchalat-
noaker@me.com. Arrangements by 
the Ira Kaufman Chapel. 

PHYLLIS 
BIGELMAN 
AGREE, 90, of 
Palm Harbor, 
Fla., passed 
away on Jan. 19, 
2021.
She was fiercely indepen-
dent until the end; her dog, 
Chivas, was her constant 
companion. 
Mrs. Agree was born in 
Detroit. She attended the 
University of Michigan and 
graduated with a dental 
hygiene degree. She prac-
ticed until age 80. 
She was married for 61 
years to the love of her life, 
Lawrence Agree. She will be 
remembered for her kind-
ness, sense of humor, amaz-
ing energy and uncondition-
al love for her entire family. 
Mrs. Agree is survived by 
her daughter and son-in-law, 
Cathy and Gregg Herman of 
West Bloomfield; daughter, 
Lynn Elliott of Palm Harbor, 
Fla.; son, Kenneth Agree 
of Clearwater, Fla.; grand-
children, Emily and Alex 
Horn, Jeffrey and Nicole 
Herman, Daniel Herman 
and Katie Holland, Jennifer 
and Harsha Saddanathan, 
Mellisa Elliott; great-grand-
children, Zachary Horn, 
Victoria and Natalia 
Herman, Avi Saddanathan. 

ROBERT “BOB” 
COHEN, 87, of 
Mayfield 
Heights, Ohio, 
died Jan. 29, 
2021.
He was an amazing per-
son, kind, loving and gen-
erous. He and Shirley were 
married for 63 years and 
were consummate snow-
birds, flying down to the 
warmer climes of Florida for 
the winter. 
Bob loved stained-glass 
art and created beautiful 
stained-glass pieces, which 

are hanging throughout 
both homes. He owned 
and ran Empire Glass 
Company, working along-
side his son, Dale. Bob 
was heavily involved in the 
glass industry and served 
as president of the Ohio 
Glass Association. Always 
up for an adventure, he 
included his family on 
many trips to the National 
Glass Association’s annual 
conventions throughout the 
country. 
 Bob was always involved 
in his children’s lives, from 
working with his sons’ Boy 
Scout troops to helping with 
his daughter’s Bluebirds 
group. He enjoyed fishing 
and boating and caught lots 
of fish with his kids and 
extended family members 
Roger and Chucky. He loved 
spending time with his nine 
grandchildren and keeping 
up on their comings and 
goings. 
His sense of humor was 
passed down to his children 
and grandchildren, who 
always have a joke or off-
the-cuff remark on the tips 
of their tongues; it meant 
so much to him. Bob was 
so happy to meet his new, 
great-grandson, Asher 
Bennett Epstein, through 
a video. He will be greatly 
missed but will always be 
remembered with love and 
laughter.
Mr. Cohen was the dearly 
beloved husband of Shirley 
(nee Brody); devoted father 
of Dale Cohen (Cindy), 
Steven Cohen (Susan) and 
Lisa Keffer (Bryan); cher-
ished grandfather of Robin, 
Ryan and Rachel Cohen, 
Jaymie Epstein (Matthew), 
Samuel, Noah and Joshua 
Cohen, Haley and Jayme 
Keffer; loving great-grand-
father of Asher Bennett 
Epstein; dear brother of 
Sharon Ishee (Roger) and 

