MARCH 3 • 2022 | 53
S
eymour Salinger, 98,
died Feb. 2, 2022, the
last of his family’s great
generation.
He was born in 1923 in a
small town in Lithuania, the
youngest of seven children. In
1939, his mother sent
him and his sister to
live with their older
brothers, who were
already in Detroit.
Sadly, she did not
survive the Holocaust
to join her children.
After finish-
ing Central High
School and a
semester at Wayne
State University, he
returned to Europe
as an American soldier. In
November 1944, his platoon
was captured in Germany. He
spent six months as a POW
. He
later received the Purple Heart.
While attending University
of Michigan’s School of
Engineering in Ann Arbor, he
taught a Hebrew group, where
Tova (nee Carol) was one of his
students. On their first date, in
November 1947, Sy said he was
captured again, this time by her
heart. They were on a hayride
with their college Zionist group
and listened to the radio as the
United Nations Assembly voted
to partition Palestine. He and
Tova were married nearly 71
years, until Tova passed on in
2020.
Settling in the Detroit area,
they joined the Labor Zionist
Alliance, Congregation Beth
Shalom and later Congregation
T’
chiyah. Sy, a devoted husband
and father to their three chil-
dren and their growing fami-
lies, always said that being with
family was his greatest joy.
An active member in the
Habonim Youth Group, he
helped build Camp Kinneret
in Chelsea, Michigan. Later it
moved and became Habonim
Camp Tavor, where his chil-
dren, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren attended,
developing close ties
to Israel.
Sy loved working
with his hands and
enjoyed tinker-
ing with anything
mechanical. He cre-
ated an extensively
detailed family tree,
well before it was
trendy. Although
typically soft spoken,
when he did speak
everyone listened.
He was thoughtful, resourceful,
methodical and unpretentious,
instilling those values in his
family.
Mr. Salinger was the beloved
husband of the late Tova
Carol (Gallancy) Salinger. He
is survived by his children,
Jeremy (Vicki) Salinger, Bruce
Salinger, and Bev (Yuval)
Warshai; his grandchildren,
Angelica (John) Butte, Yardana
(Jay) Donaldson, Shoshana
(Kevin) Olson, Miriam (James)
Betts, and Gal, Yael and Yasaf
Warshai; his great-grandchil-
dren, Naomi and Gabriella
Donaldson, Samarra and
Isabella Butte, Nina, Eli, Lilah;
and Ezra Olson; and many lov-
ing nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made
to Habonim Dror Camp
Tavor, 4444 Second Ave.,
Detroit, MI 48201; or the
Zekelman Holocaust Center,
28123 Orchard Lake Road.
Farmington Hills, MI 48334.
Arrangements by Dorfman
Chapel.
A Devoted
Family Man
Seymour Salinger
Interment took place at
Machhpelah Cemetery in
Ferndale. Contributions may
be made to the Integrative
Neighborhoods of Oakland
County or to a charity of one’s
choice. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.
DENNIS R. SOBOL, Ph.D., 78,
of West Bloomfield and Boca
Raton, Fla., passed away on
Feb. 14, 2022.
Dennis is survived by his
beloved wife, Cheryl Rives.
He was the adored father of
Gregory (Carrie) Sobol and
Sandra Berk; adored grand-
father of Logan, Rachel, Ari
and Levi. Also surviving are
his much loved aunt, Libby
Sklar, and numerous adoring
cousins, friends and former
students.
The funeral was held at
Eternal Light Memorial
Gardens Cemetery in Boynton
Beach, Fla. Contributions
may be made to Dr. Dennis
R. Sobol Scholarship, OCC
Foundation, George Bee
Administrative Center, 2480
Opdyke Road, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48304.
ILEENE ZATE, 84,
of West Bloom-
field, died Feb. 17,
2022.
Born in Detroit
to Morris and
Yetta Rosenzweig, Ileene
graduated from Mumford
High School. Within six
months of meeting, she and
Seymour Zate were married
and remained married for 55
years, until his death in 2014.
As compatible as they were
different, they adored each
other in their own unique
ways.
Ileene was a homemaker
who also served as office
manager for her husband, a
registered architect, for many
years. To her family and close
friends, Ileene was affection-
ately known as “The Mayvin”
— the Yiddish word that
describes someone you can
ask a question of who always
knows the answer. Ileene took
pride in being a great friend
and resource and even had
a necklace and personalized
license plates to honor her
nickname.
Beloved by those who knew
her, Ileene was the kind of
person who people, including
strangers, would routinely sit
down next to and strike up a
conversation — often sharing
their struggles or secrets with
her.
In addition to regularly
playing canasta and mahjong
with her dear friends, bargain
hunting was Ileene’s passion
and everyone who knew her
considered it a true talent. She
loved shopping in person and,
in her later years, she turned
shopping on QVC into an art
form.
Ileene was predeceased by
her husband; her son, Barry;
as well as brothers- and sis-
ters-in-law, Betty and Jerry
Grushoff, Dolores Fox and
Gladys Zate.
She is survived by her sister,
Sue Vosko (Alan); her chil-
dren, Kary (Christine) and
Ronald (Marshall Sprung);
and Barry’s wife, Cindy; her
grandchildren, Mathieu, Lillie,
Julia, Spencer, Charlotte and
Lucy; several beloved nieces,
nephews and cousins. In addi-
tion, her passing is mourned
by the hosts and staff of QVC.
Interment was at Beth
Abraham Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to
Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network, 6555 W. Maple, West
Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewish-
hospice.org; or to a charity of
one’s choice. Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.