16 | AUGUST 5 • 2021 

GOODBYE, DEAR FRIEND

“It was him and me. Most of the 
time, we spent our nights going to 
restaurants, usually a three-hour 
affair, which I hated when I was 
a kid.
“Back in the day, my dad used 
to smoke cigars, seven inches 
long. He’
d always be sitting in a 
booth, smoking a cigar, drinking 
coffee and talking to people, 
while I would sleep in the 
booth. It was his happy place. 
“He’
d tell me we’
d 
leave when he fin-
ished his cigar or his 
coffee. But he never 
wanted his coffee 
warmed up — had to 
be fresh every time, 
so it was basically nev-
er-ending coffee.
”
When Scott was 15, 
Danny married Frieda, 
“the love of his life,
” and 
the family moved to 
Southfield. The couple 
was together 35 years, 
until her death in 2010.
Scott now lives in Salt Lake 
City and is the CEO of an internet 
company. He has two children, 
Matthew and Hannah, and two 
grandchildren, Mason and Olivia. 
He said the three things his dad 
loved most were his column, the 
Jewish community and baseball. 
Scott also remembers Danny as 
a father “who knew how to draw 
the lines.
”
“I remember being in the car 
with him on our way to a Tigers 
game. My dad always drove the 
biggest, longest Cadillacs they 
had. I was playing with the power 
windows, and he told me to stop 
and if I did it again we would go 
home. I did it again, and he turned 
around when we were nearly 
there and drove home. He came 
home and put his robe on, and we 
watched it on TV
.
”
When he was home, Danny 
was always in a robe. But when 
he went out? “Everything had to 
match. Suit, tie, shoes,
” Scott said. 

“He had dozens of custom suits, 
and when he bought shoes, he’
d 
buy a pair in every color. When he 
left the house, he was dressed to 
the nines, something he continued 
all his life.
”
Scott said his father took great 
joy in helping the community. 
He was involved in the American 
Cancer Society, Variety and the 
Shriners, was a 32nd degree 
Mason and belonged to the 
Knights of Pythias, a non-sectari-
an fraternity that did community 
philanthropy. “
And he loved to 
support Jewish-related charities,
” 
Scott said. “If he were asked to 
help, he did, promoting charity 
events in his column and attending 
them in person.
”
Over the years, Danny lent his 
support to multiple Jewish organi-
zations, such as Jewish Senior Life 
and the Michigan Jewish Sports 
Hall of Fame. And he was also a 
frequent “guest judge” at a multi-
tude of chili cook-offs and burger 
contests and “grand marshal” at 
many walks for causes around 
town.
“He was a larger-than-life fig-
ure,
” Scott said.

HELPING RESTAURATEURS
After the war, Danny’s weekly 
“Listening Post” became the place 
to read about social happenings 
in Detroit’s Jewish community. In 
1964, a second column debuted 
under his name, the “Best of 
Everything,
” in which he wrote 
about local restaurants, which con-
tinued until his death. 
Danny had one rule: He would 
never give a restaurant a bad rap in 
his column because “I know how 
much it costs just to put that damn 
key in the door!”
If he had a bad experience, he 
would tell the owner what to do to 
fix it — but would not write about 
it. He’
d return once the problem 
was solved and then get something 
in the paper. “I always tried to help 
out.
”

“It was him and me. Most of the 
time, we spent our nights going to 
restaurants, usually a three-hour 
affair, which I hated when I was 
a kid.

booth. It was his happy place. 

ished his cigar or his 
coffee. But he never 
wanted his coffee 
warmed up — had to 
be fresh every time, 
so it was basically nev-
er-ending coffee.
”

Danny married Frieda, 
“the love of his life,
” and 

the family moved to 
Southfield. The couple 
was together 35 years, 

FROM THE TOP: Danny and Frieda Raskin with 
entertainer Wayne Newton. Danny’s son Scott Raskin 
with his daughter Hannah and son Matthew in 2006. 
Danny with his wife, Frieda, and dog Gigi.

continued from page 15

continued on page 18

