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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