56 | MARCH 25 • 2021 

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

A

. Donald Slotkin, 84, 
of Jupiter, Fla., and 
Bloomfield Hills, 
died March 16, 2021. 
Don always looked for and 
found the bright side of life. 
It was everything from his 
mantra to the name of his 
pontoon boat at the family 
cottage in Michigan. He wore 
mostly yellow shirts and ate 
from mostly yellow plates 
because yellow is the color 
of the bright side. That’s the 
place Don called home. 
As grandson to Hygrade 
founder Samuel Slotkin, Don 
was born a meat man. He 
became an industry leader 
in his own right as president 
of Crown Packing and Swift 
and CEO of John Morrell. 
But Don wasn’t just a 
meat man, he was a true 
Renaissance man. He was 
a concert pianist as a child, 
gifted with perfect pitch. 
Later in life, he wrote and 
composed four albums of 
music inspired by songs from 
the ’20s through the ’50s. 
His most recent album called 
Before was produced during 
the pandemic. In that dark 
time, the songs were written 
to remind us all how beauti-
ful life can be. 

GIVING BACK
Don had been a mentor to 
hundreds of people over 
the years and it was one of 
his greatest joys. He always 
made time for his mentees, 
who relied on him for guid-
ance and had faith in his wis-
dom. In the words of one of 
his mentees, “Don gave me 
life-changing advice.” These 

were some of Don’s 
happiest moments: 
Nothing gave him 
greater pleasure than 
giving back. 
Don’s impact 
extended to the char-
itable arena. He was 
chairman of Gleaners 
Food Bank in the 
1990s and his char-
itable chef d’oeuvre was his 
immense contribution to his 
alma mater Cranbrook and 
its music department. 
Don believed that the 
school should be known for 
its music program, so he 
began with a donation of 
Steinway pianos. From there, 
he endowed the Don Slotkin 
Music Scholarship Program 
that offers full tuition to 
deserving musicians from 
around the country and the 
world. To date, nearly 25 
Slotkin Scholars have bene-
fited from Don’s generosity, 
changing the trajectory of 
Cranbrook’s music program 
through his love of school 
and music. 
Don was also a great ath-
lete, excelling in baseball as 
captain at Cranbrook and 
hustling on the tennis court 
three times a week into his 
84th year. Don was a proud 
graduate of Harvard though 
he always pointed out that 
he was far from the smartest 
in his class. Instead, he took 
great pride in the fact that 
few in his class worked hard-
er than he did. 
One of Don’s greatest gifts 
was his ability to connect 
with an incredible array of 
amazing people. He created 

meaningful, lasting 
connections from 
Grayling, Mich., 
down to Jupiter and 
many, many places 
in between. 
Don was the 
consummate family 
man. He was proud-
est of his three boys, 
caring about every 
detail of their lives - big and 
small - and invested in them 
every day. He coached little 
league and gave life advice 
that was worth its weight 
in gold; a son couldn’t ask 
for a greater father. He was 
and will continue to be their 
rock. 

LOVE AND FAMILY
Don’s love for his wife, Edie, 
had no ceiling or bound-
aries. They wrote and sang 
songs together and traveled 
the world à deux; their love 
never stopped growing. It 
was a perfectly reciprocal 
love. Don protected Edie. 
Edie protected Don. They 
were each other’s rock. 
Nothing brought him 
greater happiness than 
to bring joy to his family. 
Playing piano to his family 
after dinner was one of those 
principal joys. Countless 
hours have been spent listen-
ing to Papa playing from his 
vast array of songs. What a 
gift he gave. 
Don’s smile, his sense of 
humor and his playful nature 
lit up the world; every one of 
his friends and family loved 
his wit and the twinkle in his 
eye. 
Mr. Slotkin is survived 

by his wife, Edie Slotkin; 
sons and daughters-in-law, 
Douglas and Susan Slotkin, 
Steven and Elisabeth Slotkin, 
and Louis Robert Slotkin; 
Edie’s children, Jim and Elyse 
Mittenthal, Bob Mittenthal 
and Hilarie Sheets, and Jan 
and David Rosen; grand-
children, Sam Slotkin, Mira 
Slotkin, Melanie Slotkin, 
Matthew Rosen, Allie Rosen, 
Paige Mittenthal, Sam 
Mittenthal, Owen Mittenthal 
and Charlotte Mittenthal; 
great-grandchild, Xander 
Lowery; brothers and sisters, 
Curt and Carole Slotkin, 
Todd and Judy Slotkin, 
Pamela Slotkin, and Susie 
and Jack Louiso. He is also 
survived by his former wife, 
Lorraine Marks; many loving 
nieces, nephews, cousins and 
dear friends; and his faithful 
companion, Maizie. 
He was the loving brother 
of the late Mitchell Slotkin; 
the devoted son of the late 
Hugo and the late Babette 
Slotkin; and the proud 
grandfather of the late Katie 
Slotkin. 
Interment was at 
Beth El Memorial Park. 
Contributions may be 
made to Cranbrook 
Schools, Attn: the Don 
Slotkin Music Scholarship 
Fund, Dept. 77428, P.O. Box 
77000, Detroit, MI 48277-
0428, schools.cranbrook. 
edu/giving/ways-to-
give; Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 
11 Mile Road, Berkley, 
MI 48072, yadezra.org/
donate; or to a charity of 
one’s choice. Arrangements 
by Ira Kaufman Chapel. 

He Sought the Sunny Side of Life

Donald Slotkin

