62 | MAY 12 • 2022

W

hen asked about
himself, Paul
Borman would
say he was “just a guy who
sold bananas.
” To everyone
else, he was an inspiring
community leader, a staunch
Israel supporter, a generous
philanthropist, an innovative
entrepreneur, and a devoted
son, brother, husband, father,
grandfather and great-grand-
father. Paul Borman, former
CEO of Farmer Jack super-
markets, died May 3, 2022,
surrounded by the family he
held so dear. He was 89.
Paul was born in Detroit in
1932 to Molly and Abraham
Borman, who exemplified the
importance of Jewish tradition
and devotion to family. When
Abraham and his brother,
Tom, emigrated from Russia,
they opened a neighborhood
fruit stand, which later became
one of Detroit’s largest grocery
chains, due in large part to
Paul’s exemplary work ethic
and exceptional business acu-
men.
After graduating from
Highland Park High School,
Paul attended Michigan State
University in 1953, earning a
degree in food marketing. He
served as a cook in the Army
before meeting the love of
his life, Marlene Jaffa. Their
67-year marriage was a true
partnership in every sense
of the word, encompassing
romance, shared values and
mutual respect. Together they
raised three sons and created a
home where Jewish traditions
were honored and family was
central.
Despite leaving for the
office before the children were
awake in the morning, he
always arrived home in time

for dinner. While he enjoyed
special relationships with each
of his sons, he had uncom-
promising standards and high
expectations.
In 1962, Paul became pres-
ident of Borman Foods, mak-
ing his one of the youngest
CEOs of a public company in
the country. He led the tran-
sition from the former Food
Fair stores to the popular and
successful Farmer Jack super-
market chain. By the early
1980s, the company had more
than 100 stores, 7,500 employ-
ees and more than $1 billion
in revenue.
He used innovative mar-
keting techniques that distin-
guished Farmer Jack stores
from the competition. He
was the largest importer of
Israeli grocery products, car-
rying items that were not sold
elsewhere. He lent further
support to Israel by helping
food manufacturers prepare
and package their products for
the U.S. market and encourag-
ing Jewish grocers across the
country to stock their stores
with Israeli products.
He and Marlene made
countless trips to Israel, serv-

ing as guides to former Detroit
Free Press publisher David
Lawrence and Vice President
George Bush.
For all his accomplish-
ments, his family was his most
important legacy. He took
great delight in watching his
family grow, embracing his
sons’ wives and their families
as his own. His granddaugh-
ter Molly described him as a
“warm, kind, silly and hum-
ble” Zaydie who loved spend-
ing time with his grandchil-
dren and great-grandchildren.
Paul was devoted to the
city of Detroit, keeping the
Detroit Farmer Jack stores
open during the 1967 riots
and later adding new stores to
provide jobs and fresh food
to the local communities. He
believed in keeping prices uni-
form in every store, from city
to suburbs.
He further demonstrated
his commitment to Detroit
as a founding member of
New Detroit and a board
member of several orga-
nizations including the
United Foundation, the
Detroit Symphony, the
Detroit Economic Growth
Corporation and the
University of Detroit.
When the iconic
Thanksgiving parade was in
jeopardy, Paul was part of a
small group of Detroit CEOs
who ensured the event would
continue by establishing
the Michigan Thanksgiving
Parade Foundation. For many
years, he was part of the
parade’s “clown corps,
” a tradi-
tion carried on by his sons and
grandchildren.
He and Marlene were
involved in numerous phil-
anthropic efforts throughout

their lives, in metro Detroit
and beyond, including found-
ing the Jewish studies program
at Michigan State University
and overseeing worldwide
fundraising for the Hermelin
Campus for World ORT in
Israel.
Despite receiving countless
awards and accolades, Paul
preferred to stay out of the
limelight, a “humble grocer”
who touched the lives of thou-
sands in his own quiet way.
Paul Borman is survived
by his loving wife of 67 years,
Marlene; sons and daugh-
ters-in-law, Stuart (Hilary)
Borman, Gilbert Borman and
Eric (Julie) Borman; grand-
children, Molly and Larry
Borman Heymont, Hannah
and Marc Crane, Harry
Borman, Samuel Borman,
Jonathan and Whitney
Borman, Alex Borman;
great-grandchildren, Henry
Heymont, Claire Crane and
Stella Crane; and brother and
sister-in-law, Leonard (Bobbie)
Borman. He was also the
brother of the late Nettie (the
late Morey) Firestone.
Interment was at Clover Hill
Park Cemetery. Contributions
may be made to Weizmann
Institute, 6735 Telegraph
Road, Suite 365, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, weizmann-
usa.org; ORT America
Michigan Region, 6735
Telegraph Road, Suite 350,
Bloomfield Township, MI
48301, ortamerica.org; Hebrew
Free Loan, 6735 Telegraph
Road, Suite 300, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, hfldetroit.org;
or The Parade Company, 9500
Mt. Elliott, Studio A, Detroit,
MI 48211, theparade.org.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman
Chapel.

An Unassuming Powerhouse

Paul Borman

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER