72 | MAY 26 • 2022
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
DR. ELIE D.
ABOULAFIA,
93, of
Farmington
Hills, died May
9, 2022.
He is survived by his wife
of 57 years, Eileen Aboulafia;
children, Diane and Dr.
Peter Shapiro, Dr. David
and Audrey Aboulafia, Dr.
Albert Aboulafia and his
fiancee, Cheryl Kalb, Robert
and Deborah Steingold,
David Steingold and Lisa
Dwyer, Michael and Janice
Steingold, and Dr. Marc
Steingold; grandchildren,
Miriam and Yves, Dr.
Gabriella and Joe, Elie
Chorlton, Jacob, Ariella,
Alanna, Woody and Carla,
Jason, Sean and Brooke,
Rachel and Adam, Lindsay
and Aaron, Eric, Meghan,
Dana and Matt, Jamie and
Reuben, Melissa and Barrett,
and Dr. Brandon; great-
grandchildren, Yoni, Yael,
Zaidie, Stella, Caleb, George,
Hunter, Asher, Juniper,
Ivy, Jackson, Miles and
Josie; brother, Dr. Yeshaya
Aboulafia; brother-in-law
and sister-in-law, Dr. Paul
and Dr. Ruth Helman. He
is also survived by Susan
Steingold, many loving
nieces, nephews, cousins,
colleagues, friends and his
devoted caregivers, Nefertiti
Newsome and Caitlin
Bonner.
Dr. Aboulafia was the
devoted son of the late
David and the late Mazel
Aboulafia.
Interment was at Clover
Hill Park Cemetery.
Contributions may be made
to Magen David Adom, P.O.
Box 96402, Washington,
D
r. Robert Arking
of Troy, a scientist,
beloved husband,
father and grandfather,
passed away suddenly May
16, 2022, while visiting
family in New York City.
He was 85.
Born on July 1, 1936, in
New York City, he grew
up in Atlantic City, N.J.,
roaming the Boardwalk
with friends and working
in his father’s linen store.
Dr. Arking received
a B.S. in biology from
Dickinson College and
a Ph.D. from Temple
University. After various
positions at the University
of Virginia, University
of Kentucky and the
University of California
at Irvine, he landed at
Wayne State University in
Detroit, where he spent
45 years as a professor in
developmental biology,
developmental genetics and
the biology of aging before
retiring in December of
2020.
Dr. Arking was
instrumental in both
designing courses,
reforming WSU’s
undergraduate curriculum
and establishing the M.S.
Biotechnology Program.
He also promoted modern
teaching methodologies
and developed courses to
help at-risk students.
However, research was
his true passion; and
throughout his career
he was fascinated by the
physiology of healthy aging
and developed a strain of
long-lived fruit
flies that enabled
him to identify
the factors that
promote healthy
aging. Dr. Arking
collaborated
with scientists
in Russia,
Switzerland and
South Korea to explore the
genetics, physiology and
metabolism of aging using
these flies.
In addition to prolific
research articles and
reviews, Dr. Arking is the
sole author of a textbook,
Biology of Aging, now in its
fourth edition. His text
has been translated into
Japanese (legally) and
Portuguese (illegally), and
he was very proud that his
book was good enough to
steal.
Dr. Arking won the
Wayne State Faculty
recognition award in 2000
for outstanding scholarship
and was elected a Fellow
of both the Gerontological
Society of America and
the American Aging
Association. He was an
invited visiting professor at
Pusan National University
in South Korea in 2000 and
2013, and won a Fulbright
Fellowship to teach and
study at the University of
Salzburg in 2006.
In addition to his
scholarship and teaching,
Dr. Arking held many
positions with the
American Association
of University Professors/
American Federation of
Teachers, serving
as treasurer
and executive
board member,
implementation
officer and vice
president. He was
also a member
of the union
negotiating team.
Even after retirement,
Dr. Arking still taught
his course the Biology of
Aging as a volunteer.
While he was a lifelong
student of science,
Dr. Arking was also a
committed humanist who
never failed to exhibit
enthusiasm for the
endeavors of his loved ones
and offer encouragement at
just the right time. He was
devoted to his wife of 60
years and lived, loved and
laughed through each and
every one.
He was preceded in
death by his beloved
wife, Lucille. He leaves
behind two sons, David
and Jonathan; two
cherished daughters-in-
law, Deanne and Carolyn;
six grandchildren he
thoroughly adored, Ben,
Jared, Joshua, Rachel,
Emily and Ari. He is also
survived by his siblings,
Richard Arking, Madelon
Holder and Linda Avila.
A celebration of life
will be held at noon on
Saturday, June 25, 2022,
at the Congregation for
Humanistic Judaism of
Metro Detroit, 28611 W.
12 Mile Road, Farmington
Hills.
A Student of Science
Dr. Robert Arking