SEPTEMBER 29 • 2022 | 69

L

eon “Lee” Warshay was 
a beloved college profes-
sor, a published author, 
a self-proclaimed feminist 
and, above all, a devoted 
husband, father, grandfather 
and great-grandfather. Lee, 
who lived in Royal Oak, died 
peacefully at home on Sept. 18, 
2022. He was 94. 
Lee was born in 1928 in 
Cleveland, Ohio, the son of 
two Hebrew school teachers. 
When Lee was five, his father, 
a fervent Zionist, moved the 
family to Israel, settling in 
the small farming village of 
Gedera. When Lee’s father 
died unexpectedly two years 
after they arrived, his mother 
brought Lee and his younger 
brother, Marvin, back to the 
United States to live with her 
family in Brooklyn. 
As a result, Lee referred to 
himself as “twice an immi-
grant.
” He attended the Yeshiva 
of Flatbush, became an avid 
Yankees fan and developed a 
lifelong love of baseball.
Years later, his daughter-in-
law, Shaina Warshay, remem-
bers Lee singing versions of 
Hebrew Passover songs he 
learned as a boy from the rabbi 
at the Yeshiva of Flatbush. 
After graduating from 
Brooklyn College, he earned 
a master’s degree in sociology 
at University of Chicago and 
began a Ph.D. program at 
Indiana University. His stud-
ies were interrupted by the 
Korean War and, after serving 
two years stateside, he finished 
his Ph.D. at the University of 
Minnesota.
At Indiana University, he 
met Diana, whom he called 
“the most impressive person I 

have ever known.
” 
During their 
70-year marriage, 
they attended sociol-
ogy conferences 
throughout the 
world, raised two 
sons and delighted 
as their family grew 
to encompass 11 
grandchildren and 
four great-grandchildren. 
After teaching stints at 
the University of Missouri-
Kansas City and the Ohio 
State University, Lee accepted 
a position at Wayne State 
University, and the Warshays 
moved to Detroit in 1969. 
Here, he became active in 
Zionist causes, serving as pres-
ident of the Detroit Zionist 
Federation for several years 
and visiting Israel several 
times. His sons, Jonathan and 
Nathaniel, have fond memo-
ries of going to baseball games 
at Tiger Stadium with their 
dad, and playing catch and 
“running bases” in the back-
yard of their Detroit home.
In his 45 years at Wayne 
State University, Lee was an 
inspirational teacher and a 
valued faculty member, gen-
erously sharing his time and 
wisdom with students and 
colleagues. 
He published two books on 
sociological theory, numerous 
articles in academic journals 
and wrote a chapter for Social 
Approaches to Sport, a book by 
Robert Pankin, an accomplish-
ment that prompted a coveted 
interview with one of his local 
heroes, Ernie Harwell.
He was an avid reader with 
an impressive store of knowl-
edge on a variety of topics, 

including Israel, 
history, politics and, 
of course, baseball. 
He loved corny puns 
and old-time Jewish 
jokes.
“My father was 
known for his sense 
of humor,
” said his 
son Jonathan. “He 
passed that down 
to me and my brother. We 
watched many Marx Brothers 
movies together, learning 
many of the lines by heart.
”
Lee loved children, especial-
ly babies, and his face lit up 
whenever one of his grandchil-
dren or great-grandchildren 
entered the room. 
“He was always smiling, 
always full of love,
” said his 
grandson Aaron, who enjoyed 
their discussions on philoso-
phy, science and sociology. 
Lee was a staunch champion 
of women’s rights. Whether he 
wore a suit jacket or a flannel 
shirt, his trademark accessory 
was a pin reading “75 cents,
” 
the amount women earned for 
every dollar men were paid 
for comparable jobs. He put 
his principles into action, sup-
porting Diana as she earned 
her Ph.D. in Sociology and 
pursued a career that required 
long hours away from home.
“The pin was just the surface 
of his feminism and activism,
” 
said his granddaughter Anna. 
“He would always express the 
importance of following our 
dreams and to get everything 
we want in the world no mat-
ter our gender.
” 
He loved music, Frank 
Sinatra classics and show 
tunes. His oldest granddaugh-
ter Alyssa remembers how 

he would dance her around 
the room with a Bing Crosby 
record on the turntable. 
“I always found it to be so 
inspirational the way Saba 
dedicated his heart and soul 
to everything he did. From 
his signature green pin to his 
passion for Israel and his love 
for teaching and researching 
sociological theory and, ulti-
mately, to his wife and family,
” 
said his granddaughter Anna.
Contributions in memory of 
Lee Warshay may be made to 
The Dorothy & Peter Brown 
Jewish Community Adult Day 
Care Program, 6720 W
. Maple 
Road, West Bloomfield, MI 
48322, (248) 661-6390; to the 
League of Women Voters, 725 
S. Adams Road, Suite L-144, 
Birmingham, MI 48009, 
(248) 594-6602; or Planned 
Parenthood of Michigan, P
.O. 
Box 3673, Ann Arbor, MI 
48106, (855) 896-4966.

 Leon “Lee” Warshay is sur-
vived by his wife of 70 years, 
Diana; sons, Jonathan (Ronelle 
Grier) Warshay and Nathaniel 
(Shaina) Warshay; grandchil-
dren, Alyssa (Erin) Hawks-
Warshay, Aaron (Colette) 
Warshay, Arielle (Norbert) 
Wroblewski, Jonah Warshay, 
Madeleine (Abraham) 
Truitt, David Warshay, Anna 
Warshay, Maayan Warshay, 
Assaf Warshay, Avigail 
Warshay and Gavriel Warshay; 
great-grandchildren, Julian 
Hawks-Warshay, Amari 
Hawks-Warshay, Jasmine 
Hawks-Warshay and Dalia 
Truitt. He was the brother 
of the late Marvin (Ieda) 
Warshay. Arrangements by 
The Dorfman Chapel. 

Beloved College Professor 
and Family Man

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

