102 | MAY 20 • 2021

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

U

nassuming and gen-
erous, Philip Manuel
Allweiss made peo-
ple feel cared for, whether it
was hosting guests, fixing a
car or giving handyman tips.
He was happy to share the
good life he enjoyed with his
wife, Kat, at their homes in
Highland, Mich., and Bonita
Springs, Fla. However, as
owners of Sol’s Complete Car
Care in Berkley, work as well
as play defined their lives.
Phil Allweiss, 60, died of
cancer in Bonita Springs on
May 3, 2021. The youngest
of Salek “Sol” and Frieda
(Schiller) Allweiss’ four chil-
dren, Phil was born on Feb.
20, 1961. He was mechan-
ically inclined like his dad.
“Phil was ‘Sol Jr.’ in our fam-
ily,” Frieda said, “because he
looked like him, walked like
him and shared his interests.”
Brother Ben Allweiss
recalled launching kit model
rockets with young Phil in
a field near home. After
graduating from North
Farmington High School,
Phil completed technical
school and became a master
mechanic.
At age 13, Phil began
working at Sol & Zygie’s
Mobil gas station in
Southfield. Two years later,
in 1976, the owner brothers
parted ways and opened
separate auto repair shops.
When Sol retired in 1987,
Phil took over his father’s
business, later joined by Kat,
at the corner of 11 Mile and
Greenfield roads.
The manager at Sol’s,

Henry Bienenstock,
was 14 and pump-
ing gas when he
met 10-year-old
Phil, his eventual
boss. “For the next
34 years, Phil and I
shared every single
event in each oth-
er’s lives. His fam-
ily was my family,
and my family was
his. He was, first and fore-
most, my friend.”
Kat and Phil were intro-
duced by her sister, Lauren,
and Phil’s buddy, Scott. “It
was love at first sight,” said
Kat, who married her hus-
band on Aug. 28, 1993. The
heartbreak of their marriage
happened Sept. 15, 1997,
losing their infant daughter,
Sara Sophia.
The couple volunteered
together at a boxer rescue
nonprofit. “Phil loved sav-
ing dogs, even when he was
going through chemo,” Kat
said. On weekends, they
might waterski or ride one of
their horses, but “traveling
to explore islands and lying
on beaches was our favorite
pastime.”
Guests enjoyed relaxing
on Phil’s boat rides across
Highland Lake, perhaps
to watch the sunset, and
cruising on his boat in the
Florida Gulf. Just for fun, his
brother Jack Allweiss recalled
a friendly cookoff between
Phil and Jack’s chef son, Jon,
“where the good-natured
taunts flew across the kitch-
en.”
“Cousin Phil balanced a

life filled with love
and activities he cared
about with a success-
ful business,” said
Janice Young.
Phil was the
beloved husband
of Kathryn “Kat”
Allweiss; son and
son-in-law of Frieda
Allweiss and Carol
Kozelski; brother and
brother-in-law of Jack (Patty)
Allweiss, Ben Allweiss
and Ilana Moss; uncle of
Jonathan Allweiss and Erin
(Paul) Lietzan; nephew of
Goldy Kriseman; and he
leaves seven cousins.
He was the father of the
late Sara Sophia Allweiss; son
and son-in-law of the late Sol
Allweiss and the late Edward
Kozelski; uncle of the late
David Allweiss; nephew of
the late Zyga and the late
Irma Allweiss; and grandson
of the late Markus and the
late Sara Schiller, and the
late Jacob and the late Esther
Allweiss.
A memorial service
will be held in Michigan.
Contributions may be made
to Great Lakes Boxer Rescue,
5196 N. Vista Road, Sanford,
MI 48657, greatlakesbox-
errescue.org; American
Cancer Society, 20450 Civic
Center Drive, Southfield, MI
48076, donate3.cancer.org; or
Holocaust Memorial Center,
28123 Orchard Lake Road,
Farmington Hills, MI 48334,
www.holocaustcenter.org.
Arrangements by Shikany
Funeral Home of Bonita
Springs, Fla.

A Life Well Lived

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Philip Allweiss

vrcpitbull.com/how-you-can-
help/donations. Arrangements
by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JOEL M.
HELFMAN, 78, of
Bloomfield Hills,
died May 9, 2021.
He is survived
by his beloved
wife, Harriet Helfman; son,
Adam Helfman; daughter,
Melissa Rosenzweig;
grandchildren, Maximillian
Helfman, Jackson Rosenzweig
and Eli Rosenzweig; brother,
David Helfman; sister and
brother-in-law, Brina and
Raymond Pepper; brothers-
in-law and sisters-in-law,
Dr. Mildord and Barbara
Wenokur, Sheldon and Sheila
Swartz; many loving cousins,
nieces, nephews, other family
members and friends.
Mr. Helfman was the son
of the late Anne and the late
Philip Helfman; brother-
in-law of the late Marilee
Helfman and the late Arthur
Woll.
Interment took place at
Adat Shalom Memorial
Park Cemetery in Livonia.
Contributions may be made
to a charity of one’s choice.
Arrangements by Dorfman
Chapel.

ESTHER GREEN
KIRSCHNER, 92,
of Huntington
Woods, died on
May 10, 2021.
She was born
in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1928 to
Rose and Harry Green. She
married Stanley Kirschner in
June of 1950, on the same day
that they both graduated from
Brooklyn College, where she
earned her B.A.
Esther went on to earn a

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