54 | AUGUST 5 • 2021 

continued from page XX

W

ith his signature 
bowties, colorful 
round glasses and 
magnetic smile, Douglas 
Bloom was a successful busi-
nessman, a generous philan-
thropist and a charismatic 
leader who advanced the caus-
es of numerous organizations 
in his beloved Jewish com-
munity. Douglas, who lived 
in Birmingham with his wife, 
Barbara, died on July 22, 2021, 
at age 82.
Born in Detroit in 1938, 
Douglas was the son of 
Josephine, an accomplished 
artist and community activ-
ist, and Arthur, the city’s first 
Jewish radiologist. From an 
early age, Douglas and his 
older brother, John, learned 
the importance of Judaism and 
community involvement from 
their parents and large extend-
ed family. 
After graduating from 
Mumford High School, 
Douglas earned a degree in 
business administration from 
the University of Michigan 
and remained a diehard 
Wolverine throughout his life. 
After college, he began work-
ing for his uncle’s auto parts 
company, sweeping floors and 
operating the switchboard. His 
exceptional business acumen 
and commendable work ethic 
enabled him to progress until 
he was running the company.
 
BUSINESS SUCCESS
When his uncle retired and 
left the business to a foun-
dation, his entrepreneurial 
spirit led him to found Bar 
Processing, which, under his 
leadership, became the largest 
steel bar processing company 
in the country.
While he expected his 
employees to adhere to the 
highest quality standards, he 
was a generous boss who cared 
about the people who worked 

for him. He believed the key 
to success was hiring the right 
people and allowing them to 
do their jobs. 
At age 38, he was reintro-
duced to Barbara, a former 
Mumford classmate. Nine 
weeks after their first date, 
they were married. 
“I had never met anyone 
like Douglas. He was interest-
ed in people, active, curious 
and very much alive,” said 
Barbara.
The couple and their chil-
dren formed a loving blended 
family that grew to include 
their sons’ wives and eight 
grandchildren, who were the 
lights of their lives. Barbara 
shared her husband’s commit-
ment to Judaism and com-
munity involvement, along 
with his love of art, travel and 
gardening.
“We introduced each other 
to different worlds, different 
people and different kinds of 
art,” Barbara said. “He brought 
a lot of life to my life that had 
never existed before. We were 
a good team.”
With Barbara’s encourage-
ment, Douglas re-ignited his 
lifelong love of model trains 
that began decades earlier 
when he worked in a store 
selling train sets. He pursued 
his hobby with a passion that 
culminated in 1,800 square 
feet of tracks filled with true-
to-life trains and surrounded 
by detailed neighborhoods 
that included gas stations, 
restaurants and a drive-in 
movie with a working screen.
His son, David, describes 
his father as a “self-made man” 
who was wise, insightful and 
pragmatic.
“He knew when to stand 
firm, when to forge ahead and 
when to walk away. He built 
his business like he grew his 
trains, by laying more track,” 
said David, who has fond 

memories of attending local 
sporting events and visiting 
art museums and galleries 
across the country with his 
father. 
At the age of 60, after decid-
ing to become a bar mitzvah, 
Douglas began studying 
Hebrew and learning Torah 
to prepare for the upcoming 
ceremony.

COMMUNITY EFFORTS
He was active in a wide-rang-
ing list of Jewish organizations 
and held several leadership 
positions. Most notably, he 
was president of the Jewish 
Community Center and 
served two terms as president 
of the Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit. 
 He served many other 
agencies and organizations 
that included Temple Beth 
El, Jewish Senior Life, the 
Neighborhood Project, Jewish 
Vocational Service and the 
Jewish Chautauqua Society.
A generous supporter of 
numerous causes, one of 
his favorites was the annual 
Barbara and Douglas Bloom 
Matzah Factory at the JCC. He 
and Barbara also sponsored 
the Acts of Loving Kindness 
Fund, which helps seniors liv-
ing in Fleischman Residence, 
and a fund for single parents 
of children with special needs 
at Temple Israel.
In 2018, he received the 
coveted Fred M. Butzel Award 
for distinguished community 
service, Federation’s highest 
honor for volunteer leader-
ship. The following year, he 
was an honoree in the annual 
Eight Over Eighty ceremony 
sponsored by Jewish Senior 
Life.
Douglas Bloom is survived 
by his beloved wife, Barbara 
Bloom; cherished children, 
David (Boksook) Bloom, 
Matthew (Becky) Zuckerberg 

and Andrew (Denise) 
Zuckerberg; and loving 
grandchildren Rachel (fiance 
Lucas Niewenhuis) Bloom, 
Sarah Bloom, Ashley (Alek) 
Mead, Claire Zuckerberg, 
Ben Zuckerberg, Lauren 
(Stu) Cooper, Erik (Andrew 
Derr) Rasmussen and Alex 
Rasmussen.
He was the devoted brother 
of the late John Bloom and the 
brother-in-law of the late Ruth 
Ann Shapiro. 
He will also be missed by 
many other dear relatives and 
friends, as well as his ded-
icated caregivers, Glennis, 
Mariama, Charles, Abena, 
Ama and Martha.
Interment was at Clover Hill 
Park Cemetery. Contributions 
may be made to Cure PSP, 
1206 Broadway, 2nd Floor, 
New York, NY 10001, 
(800) 457-4777, www.psp.
org; or Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit, 
6735 Telegraph, Bloomfield 
Hills; or Jewish Senior Life 
of Metropolitan Detroit, 
6710 West Maple Road, West 
Bloomfield, MI 48322, (248) 
592-5026, www.jslmi.org; or a 
Jewish charity of one’s choice. 
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman 
Chapel. 

A Highly Cherished Community Leader

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Douglas 
Bloom

OF BLESSED MEMORY
OBITUARIES

