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