JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 61

D

avid Kahan, 93,
of Bloomfield
Township
and Highland Beach,
Fla., beloved husband,
father, grandfather and
great-grand-
father, passed
away on Jan. 8,
2022.
He was born
in Gheorgheni,
Transylvania,
one of six chil-
dren born to
Moshe Chaim
and Raizel Toba.
In the spring
of 1944, he was
deported to
Auschwitz with his parents,
younger brother, Hersch
Leib, and sister, Chaya
Sara. Only he survived the
selection by the infamous
Dr. Mengele. David was
transferred to the Muhldorf
and then Mittergars concen-
tration camps in Germany.
He was liberated by the
American army on April 30,
1945.
Following the war, he
stayed in displaced per-
son camps in Germany.
At the Fuhrenwald camp,
he learned from a friend
from his hometown that
his older brothers, Ephraim
and Mechier, had been in a
Hungarian army work camp.
Only Ephraim survived and
later immigrated to Israel,
where he raised his fami-
ly. His brother Meir Yosef
survived the Nazis but died
fighting in the 1948 Israel
War of Independence.
David’s love for America
began when he was lib-
erated by the U.S. Army
and continued as America

provided opportunity for
a wonderful life where he
built a successful business
from nothing and raised a
loving family.
In 1949, David was able
to immigrate to the United
States, settling in Detroit in
1950. He met his beloved
wife, Terry, and they were
married in 1953 and had
three sons. They loved to
go dancing, play cards and
travel the world; annually,
they visited family in Israel.
They also attended AIPAC
conferences across the
country for decades.
David went from work-
ing in a tool and die shop,
to selling shoes, to selling
houses, to eventually start-
ing a commercial real estate
company, Premier Realty
in Troy, Michigan. His
three sons joined the fam-
ily business. He was a fair
but tenacious businessman
with agreements sometimes
completed by a handshake
or written on the back of
a napkin. He was greatly
respected as an honorable
and successful businessman.
David was passionate
about his support of Israel
and numerous charities that
supported the future of the
Jewish people. He shared his
Holocaust story with audi-
ences at universities, high
schools and civic groups,
so that the lessons of the
Holocaust would never be
forgotten. Over the years,
he was honored by various
charities and organizations
for his lifetime of activism
and contributions. The
scope of David’s charitable
endeavors on behalf of the
Jewish community was all

encompassing. At the center
of his obsession was the sur-
vival of the Jewish people
and the State of Israel. He
often said that if Israel had
been in existence during
World War II, then the
Holocaust would not have
happened and his family
would have survived.
David especially cherished
his 10 grandchildren and
five great-grandchildren.
He was lovingly involved
in their lives. He imparted
to them the importance of
family, charity and support
of Israel, to continue his leg-
acy. David was dearly loved
and will be greatly missed.
David Kahan is survived
by Terry, his beloved wife of
68 years. He was the devot-
ed father of Douglas (Ilene)
Kahan, Jeffrey (Tammy)
Kahan, Michael Kahan
(Tina Tringali); adored
grandfather of Eryn (Max)
Rebner, Noah and Nicole
Kahan, Hannah (Nicole)
Figueroa, Sara (Matthew)
Brodsky, Rachel, Seth and
Jeremy Kahan, and Naomi
and Leora Kahan; devoted
great-grandfather of Shane
and Harris Rebner, Reece
and Quinn Brodsky and
Asher Figueroa; he is also
survived by loving nieces
and family in Israel.
Services were at the
Davidson/Hermelin
Chapel at Clover Hill
Park Cemetery and inter-
ment was at Clover Hill.
Donations may be made
in his memory to AIPAC,
aipac.org; Boys Town
Jerusalem Foundation of
America, boystownjerusa-
lem.org; or BBYO, bbyo.org/
donate/michigan.

A Devoted Family Man

David
Kahan

Jessica of Winter Garden and
Lillian Houlihan of Atlanta;
great-grandchild, Gavin Levy.
A celebration of life with
his immediate family is being
planned.

STEPHEN SPITZ, 85, of West
Bloomfield, died Jan. 16, 2022.
He is survived by his wife,
Helene Spitz; daughter and
son-in-law, Marcy Spitz and
Dr. Douglas Sternberg of
Sylvan Lake; brother, Bruce
Spitz; grandchildren, Carly and
Elie Sternberg, Ari and Nicky
Sternberg, Daniel and Anya
Sternberg; brothers-in-law and
sisters-in-law, Barbara and
Herschel Goldstein, Candy and
Larry Spoont.
Mr. Spitz was the loving
father of the late Kevin Spitz;
treasured son of the late Philip
and the late Eva Spitz.
Contributions may be made
to Make a Wish Foundation of
Michigan, 7600 Grand River
Ave., Suite 175, Brighton, MI
48114; Crohn’s and Colitis
Foundation, 733 Third Ave.,
Suite 510, New York, NY
10017. Funeral service was held
at Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
Interment took place at Beth
Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery in
Ferndale. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

EDYE TESSER of
Las Vegas, Nev.,
formerly of the
Detroit area,
entered into rest
on Jan. 14, 2022,
after a 16-year battle with brain
tumors; it was time for her not
to suffer any longer.
She is survived by her lov-
ing husband, Robert; her twin
daughters, Ashlee and Carly
(Shlomo Shaul); dearest sister,
Marcia (Lane) Hall.
She was laid to rest Jan. 18,
2022, in Las Vegas.