64 | FEBRUARY 3 • 2022 

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

S

aul Shepsol Saulson, 
93, of Franklin, died 
Jan. 13, 2022. 
A friend described Saul as 
“The finest of men. A man’s 
man balanced with sensitivity 
and humility. A gem. Very dig-
nified, never haughty. Grace, 
kindness and values to the 
highest degree. Tall in stature 
and in morals.
” 
His family saw him as “opti-
mistic and adventuresome, 
fun-loving and curious, deter-
mined and disciplined, a great 
listener, always interested in 
others and grateful for every-
thing.
” 
Saulson had an exceptional-
ly happy childhood, growing 
up in Detroit with a large 
extended family. He lived in a 
duplex with his parents, Fanny 
and Morse Saulson, and his 
bubbie and zayde, Bessie and 
Joseph Wetsman. He had fond 
memories of spending all day 
Sunday at the family’s movie 
theaters — the Linwood and 
the Avalon — where he nur-
tured his interest in building 
things — an electric motor, 
an intercom, lead soldiers and 
more. As a teenager, he bought 
a car for $25 just to take it 
apart and see how it worked. 
Summers were spent with 
his cousins at “the cottage” 
in Port Huron. Dorothy and 
Bill Davidson, Jonathan Uhr, 
Bill Saulson and Bill Wetsman 
were raised as “siblings” with 
three mothers — Sal, Fan and 
Mary. These were the best days 
of their lives — swimming, 
boating, shooting bb guns and 
slingshots, playing horseshoes, 
horseback riding, eating ice 
cream and cookies and more.

 Saulson experienced sig-
nificant challenges — the 
deaths of his father, Morse, 
and uncle, Ralph Davidson, in 
an auto accident when he was 
12, being jailed in Argentina 
for “financing a revolution” 
against Peron at 23 and los-
ing his first wife, Laela Miller 
Saulson, during childbirth at 
38 were the most profound. 
“Shep” as he was known by 
some, would only focus on the 
positive. He would frequently 
say things like, “I’m a lucky 
guy.
” “I’ve always been an opti-
mist.
” “When there is a prob-
lem, I see it as a challenge.
” 
“Every day is a good day.
” “I 
don’t borrow trouble.
” And 
“the secret to life is learning to 
adjust.
” 
When it came to kids, 
Saulson was a force of nature, 
determined to make his home 
a happy place after the death 
of Laela. 
He loved to give “great 
big bear hugs and squeezes,
” 
would threaten to “hoot and 
holler and stomp his feet” 
at a performance, or if a kid 
was misbehaving, “go to the 
woodshed to get his hickory 
stick with lots of knots in it.
” 
He declared that their house 
was “a benevolent dictatorship 
and that he was the benevolent 
despot.
” 
Saulson also loved swim-
ming, tennis, and adventures. 
He enjoyed taking walks in the 
woods as well as trips to far-off 
destinations. 
As a single man, he devel-
oped a 64-acre wetland near 
South Lyon into an island 
getaway where he held par-
ties with his friends. He took 

a trailer over on the ice, cut 
down some trees, installed a 
gas generator and dug a well. 
Somewhere in the middle 
of the island lay “Bare Ass” 
mountain, which required a 
compass to find. 
Saulson saw himself as a 
problem solver. At Frank W
. 
Kerr Chemical, he called on 
hospitals, asking customers 
about their challenges — to 
which he worked to find solu-
tions. This led to marketing 
an umbilical antiseptic for 
newborns and developing the 
first ready-to-use charcoal 
suspension for overdoses. He 
felt very good knowing that 
his products saved thousands 
of lives. 
In his mid-30s, Saulson wed 
Laela Miller, whom he’
d dated 
for several years. They were 
very happily married when 
tragedy struck — a resident 
doctor gave her an overdose 
of anesthesia during their 
son Eli’s birth. After 12 days 
in a coma, she died, leaving 
him with a young daugh-
ter, Melinda, newborn Eli, 
a 3-month-old collie, a new 
house and two businesses.

 Two years later, he married 
Marjorie Shuman with whom 
he spent the next 52 years — 
raising their children, traveling 
the world and enjoying the 
beautiful home they built 
together.
During the last two decades, 
he mentored fifth graders on 
goal-setting and gave lectures 
to seniors on adjusting to 
retirement. He also became a 
painter and sculptor, bragging 
that he was the least talented 
in his class. Once, when two of 
his paintings were selected for 
a show, he was shocked. 
Saulson loved spending time 
with his four grandchildren — 
Laela, Isaac, Sophia and Fara. 
He would take them individ-
ually on adventures and was 
always there for school events. 
He was proud that they were 
kind, honest and good-hearted 
— “the most important char-
acteristics in a person.
” 
Saul was the beloved 
husband of 52 years of 
Marjorie Shuman Saulson, and 
the late Laela Miller Saulson. 
Cherished father of Melinda 
Saulson and Eli (Michele) 
Saulson. Loving Grandpa 
of Laela, Isaac, Sophia and 
Fara Saulson. Devoted son 
of the late Fannie and Morse 
Saulson. Brother of the late 
William Wetsman Saulson.
 
Interment took place 
at Clover Hill Park Cemetery, 
which was founded by 
a group led by his 
grandfathers, Isaac Saulson 
and Joseph Wetsman. 
He will be missed by many. 
Arrangements were by Ira 
Kaufman Chapel. 

‘The Finest of Men’

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Saul Shepsol Saulson

