JUNE 15 • 2023 | 77

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

F

lora Winton loved to read and, more 
importantly, she loved to learn.
The Jewish community trailblaz-
er, who passed away on May 28, 2023, 
at the age of 106, always had a book in 
hand — typically nonfiction — and was 
eager to learn anything and everything 
she could about the world.
Yet what stood out most about Winton 
wasn’t just her passion for learning — it 
was her passion for sharing that knowl-
edge with others.
Throughout a long and fulfilling life, 
Winton devoted her time to bettering 
the community. She served on countless 
boards, was a faithful Temple Beth El 
member (and later first female president) 
and volunteered in everything from hos-
pitals to art associations.
Born in Ann Arbor in 1917, Winton 
was the daughter of Peter Miller, an 
accomplished attorney and businessman, 
and Rosa Miller, a devoted and loving 
mother.
When she was a toddler, the family 
moved to Atkinson Street in the Boston-
Edison district of Detroit, and later New 
York and Chicago, before eventually 
returning to Detroit.
Winton grew up in a Reform Jewish 
household that celebrated Jewish tra-
ditions, such as Friday night Shabbat 
dinners. While the family wasn’t very 
religious, they were active members of 
Temple Beth El, where Winton would 
remain for many decades to come.
Winton, who had always appreciated 
the art of the written word, attended 
Northwestern University, where she 
graduated in 1939 and majored in theater 
production. She then studied at Wayne 
State University graduate school, major-
ing in instructional technology.
After graduating, Winton ramped up 
her volunteer work, but not before meet-
ing her husband and soulmate, Frank 
Winton, who passed away in 2001.
They were polar opposites, recalls their 
daughter, Susan Winton-Feinberg. Frank 
was an athlete and accomplished tennis 
player, while Flora was a bookworm who 

spent her time studying. However, they 
both shared a love for reading books and 
dancing.
The pair married in 1942 in the heart 
of World War II. Frank Winton was a 
pilot and captain with the U.S. Air Force, 
and Flora traveled with him to different 
bases around the country. Luckily, Frank 
Winton was never sent overseas to fight 
in Europe.
Just before the end of the war, Frank 
and Flora’s only child, Susan, was 
born. She quickly became her parents’ 
world. Yet as far back as Susan Winton-
Feinberg, 79, of Bloomfield Hills, can 
recall, her mother, Flora, was always 
involved at Temple Beth El.
In the 1950s, Winton served as Temple 
Beth El Sisterhood president and Home 
Relief Society president for two years each. 
She was also Temple Beth El chairperson 
and a founding member and executive 
board member of Temple Beth El Players.
That decade, Winton also served as 
chairperson for the Round Table of 
Christians and Jews and on various com-
mittees in the National Council of Jewish 
Women. In addition, she was co-found-

er and executive board member of the 
Bloomfield Art Association.
Into the 1960s, Winton’s volunteerism 
continued to grow. Her excellent listen-
ing skills and ability to engage others 
and get them to open up, as her daughter 
describes, made her a natural leader. 
Winton expanded her involvement at 
Temple Beth El to work at the temple’s 
Braille Bindery, which is still in operation 
and binds books for blind children.
She also grew her involvement in the 
arts and served as a foreign film crit-
ic for the Motion Picture Council of 
Metropolitan Detroit, among other vol-
unteer efforts.
As the years went on, Winton 
remained dedicated to Temple Beth El. 
She served as executive director pro-tem 
from 1979 to 1980, then as president in 
1983. In the 1990s, she was chairper-
son of the Temple Beth El library and 
co-chairman of the archives.
Still, these involvements only begin 
to scratch the surface of the immense 
work Winton has done in the Metro 
Detroit Jewish community and beyond; 
much of her work reached a nation-
al scale (such as serving as a board 
member of the North American 
Board of World Union for Progressive 
Judaism and volunteering for Women’s 
American ORT).
When asked her secret to a long life, 
Winton always credited her longevity 
to exercise. She was passionate about 
Pilates, cooking, and never smoked or 
drank.
“She was a perfect lady,” Winton-
Feinberg says. “She was brilliant. The 
way she spoke and the way she said 
things, people stopped to listen.”
Winton-Feinberg, an accomplished 
interior designer who was encouraged by 
her mother to pursue a career in interior 
design, recalls Flora Winton as a “force 
of nature.”
“She just loved life,” she says. “She 
loved using her brain.” 
Arrangements were by Ira Kaufman 
Chapel. 

Flora Winton — Community Trailblazer

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Flora Winton

