FEBRUARY 9 • 2023 | 69

Mrs. Sanfield was the 
beloved wife of the late 
Jerome Sanfield; mother 
of the late Sharon Sidder; 
sister of the late Teresa (the 
late Joseph) Mash and the 
late Clara (the late Sam) 
Gendleman; sister-in-law 
of the late Marvin (the late 
Sarah) Sanfield and the late 
Phillip (Sally) Sanfield. 
Interment was held at 
Beth Moses Cemetery in 
Roseville. Contributions 
may be made to Jewish 
Senior Life, to the 
Alzheimer’s Association or 
to a charity of one’s choice. 
Arrangements by Dorfman 
Chapel.

GERALD DAVID SCHERR, 
73, of Farmington Hills, died 
Jan. 28, 2023. 
He is survived by his 
brother, Eli Scherr of 
Farmington Hills. 
Mr. Sherr was the loving 
son of the late Sylvia and 
the late Jack Scherr. 
Contributions may be 
made to Jewish Senior 
Life, 248-661-1836, jslmi.
org; JARC, 6735 Telegraph 
Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield 
Hills, MI 48301; or Anti-
Defamation League, 
P.O. Box 252166, West 
Bloomfield, MI 48325; 
Jewish National Fund, 
24100 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 
430, Cleveland, OH 44122. 
A funeral service was held 

at the chapel at Hebrew 
Memorial Park Cemetery. 
Interment took place at 
Hebrew Memorial Park. 
Arrangements by Hebrew 
Memorial Chapel.

DR. WILLIAM 
“BOB” 
SILVERSTONE, 
88, of 
Commerce 
Township, died 
Jan. 31, 2023. 
He is survived by his 
children, Dr. Michael (Andi 
Coffin) Silverstone, Dr. Marc 
(Dr. Stephanie Turpen) 
Silverstone, Lori (Chuck) 
Shanaman, Jill Silverstone; 
grandchildren, Danny 
Mogill, Jason Silverstone, 
Jackie Silverstone, Anna 
Mogill, Robyn Zallen, Eric 
Silverstone, Ben Zallen, 
Megan Zallen, Amanda 
Silverstone and Jack 
Turpen; devoted friend, Sue 
Erickson; many other loving 
family members and friends. 
Dr. Silverstone was the 
beloved husband of the late 
Charlotte Silverstone; father 
of the late Amy Silverstone. 
Interment was held at 
Clover Hill Park Cemetery in 
Birmingham. Contributions 
may be made to the 
Michael J. Fox Foundation, 
the JARC or to the Jewish 
Hospice and Chaplaincy 
Network. Arrangements by 
Dorfman Chapel.

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I

ra “Bob” Born, the son 
of the Russian Jewish 
immigrant who founded 
the company that makes 
Peeps candies, has died. He 
was 98.
Born was the former pres-
ident of Just Born Quality 
Confections, the 100-year-
old family-owned candy 
company in Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania, that makes 
Mike and Ikes, jelly beans and 
Goldenberg Peanut Chews, but 
is probably best known for the 
marshmallow treats that are sta-
ples in Easter baskets.
Just Born’s Jewish roots came 
as a surprise to this reporter, 
who, in 2012, reported for 
the New Jersey Jewish News on 
the company’s acquisition of 
Goldenberg Peanut Chews, a 
venerable Philadelphia brand 
that had recently dropped its 
kosher “parve” certification. 
Ross Born, Bob’s son and 
co-CEO of the company, 
explained the difficulty in sourc-
ing ingredients for the candies 
and spoke about the family’s 
commitment to Jewish causes in 
the Lehigh Valley and beyond. 
(Peanut Chews are kosher dairy; 
Peeps are not kosher.)
After Just Born acquired a 
maker of marshmallow candies 
in 1953, Bob Born devised a 
way to greatly speed the process. 
At the Bethlehem factory, huge 
machines squirt armies of the 
chick-shaped confections onto 
a conveyer belt, on which they 
glide past little guns that paint 
on the eyes.
Bob Born also cut down on 

waste when he figured out what 
to do with Mike and Ike can-
dies that emerged misshapen 
in the manufacturing process: 
He remelted the candies, added 
a hot cinnamon flavor to mask 
their original taste, and repur-
posed them as Hot Tamales.
Bob Born retired after almost 
40 years at Just Born and moved 
to Florida, where he was chair-
man of a literacy program in an 
underserved community.
Bob Born was born on Sept. 
29, 1924, in New York City. 
His father, Sam Born, had 
been a rabbinical student from 
Berdichev, Ukraine, before 
his family fled to Paris, where 
he learned the art of choco-
late-making. After opening a 
factory and store in Brooklyn, 
Sam brought his brothers-in-
law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, into 
the business. A nephew, David 
Shaffer, is currently board chair 
and co-CEO of Just Born.
In addition to his talents as a 
candymaker, Born was a musi-
cian, woodworker, chess player 
and photographer, according 
to his son. In 2019, the city of 
Bethlehem declared Feb. 15 as 
“Bob Born Day.
” 

A “Peeps Mobile” at the Just Born candy 
factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL

Bob Born, Jewish 
Maker of Peeps 
Marshmallow 
Candies, Dies at 98

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA

