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