64 | AUGUST 18 • 2022
T
he life of Ann
(Hannah) Newman
would make a fasci-
nating historical novel, the
story of a plucky heroine
from a Polish shtetl who
became a groundbreaking
entrepreneur, an avid Zionist,
a generous benefactor to
Jewish causes local and
worldwide, and the matriarch
of a large and loving family.
Ann Newman, who lived in
Oak Park, passed away on
July 31, 2022, at the age of 94.
Ann was born in 1928
in a small Polish town, the
youngest of Risha and Aaron
Eliezer Rosen’s three chil-
dren. Their father operated
a mill and lumber yard,
and their mother’s job as a
seamstress required her to be
away for months at a time.
Consequently, Ann learned
at a young age to be resilient
and self-sufficient, skills that
served her well throughout
her life.
To escape the (growing)
antisemitism, her father
immigrated to Palestine
in 1931. When Ann and
her brothers joined him in
1936, they moved to Tel
Aviv. She felt an immediate
connection with Israel and
became a member of Betar,
a Revisionist Zionist youth
movement.
When both of her brothers
were incarcerated in Kenya
and Jerusalem, the injustice
motivated her to join the
Irgun, Israel’s paramilitary
underground organization.
After high school, Ann
became a secretary for the
chief of staff of the IDF
(Israel Defense Forces).
During this
time, she met
a dashing
American
pilot named
Rudolph
“Rudy”
Newman, a
Detroiter who
was volunteering in the unit
that later became Israel’s first
air force.
The two were married in
1949 and returned to Detroit
when their oldest son Gene
was 2. Reluctant to see her
leave, her family prayed for a
guardian angel to guide her
way.
Their hopes were realized
when Ann was hired as a jan-
itor earning $1.05 an hour for
the Frank W. Kerr company,
a pharmaceutical wholesal-
er owned by Bill Davidson,
renowned philanthropist,
businessman and owner of
the Detroit Pistons.
As a result of her strong
work ethic and natural
business savvy, she earned
her boss’s trust and respect
and advanced through the
company quickly, becoming
head buyer and then general
manager. In 1974 she was
appointed president and CEO
and became majority owner
in the mid-2000s.
In 1972, she became part
owner of the Pistons and a
board member of The Palace
Foundation.
Frank W. Kerr became the
fourth-largest private inde-
pendent drug wholesaler in
the country, due in large part
to her innovative programs
that brought in major drug
chains such as Kmart, Arbor
and Meijer.
She established NoviXus
Pharmacy Services in 2014,
Michigan’s first totally auto-
mated prescription fulfill-
ment center.
In addition to being the
head of a successful com-
pany, she was a respected
leader in her field. She was a
trusted adviser to colleagues
across the country, an expert
witness in Congressional
hearings on the emerging
drug wholesale industry and
the first woman elected to
the board of directors of the
National Wholesale Drug
Association.
“She never stopped inno-
vating and building, and she
led by example,” said Gene.
While building a career,
she and Rudy raised three
sons, and she took great
pride as her sons married and
her family grew to include
17 grandchildren and 26
great-grandchildren.
Family was all-important
to Ann, and weekly Shabbos
dinners were a cherished
tradition. Around the table,
she enjoyed talking about her
early years in the shtetl and
explaining how the hardships
she faced crystallized her
lifelong commitment to
Judaism and the state of
Israel.
She had a special
relationship with each
grandchild, and they adored
spending time with her.
“Safta was the matriarch,
the one who imprinted on
us the values of hard work,
who taught us doing it the
right way matters,” wrote her
grandson Jesse.
Ann’s financial success
allowed her to fulfill the
Jewish mitzvah of tzedakah
(charity), and she contributed
generously to many
organizations and causes dear
to her heart. Jewish education
was of utmost importance to
Ann, and she supported local
day schools such as Hillel,
Frankel Jewish Academy
and especially Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah, who honored
her with the Golden Torah
Award.
Ann made her mark on
many other organizations,
including Yad Ezra, Keter
Torah, Shaarey Zedek and
the Holocaust Foundation.
She was a life member
of Hadassah and ORT.
She helped many people
anonymously, the highest
form of Jewish charity.
“She believed in giving
tzedakeh to every person
who asks because you don’t
want to overlook someone
who really needs it,” said her
son Rob.
While she loved
this country and the
opportunities it gave her,
Israel was always in her heart.
She was a founding member
of the Michigan chapter
of Friends of the IDF and
remained active with the
organization for many years.
Ann related to Jews of all
denominations and was a
great supporter of the local
Orthodox community. She
was intuitive and resourceful,
refusing to accept that
something could not be done.
She was concerned about
everyone’s well-being and
showed the same respect to
A Humble Visionary
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
Ann Newman