20 | AUGUST 24 • 2023 

I

n advance of this summer, Simon 
Mirkes and his mother, Michelle, were 
going back and forth over an important 
decision. Michelle wanted Simon to go to 
Israel this summer. Simon really wanted 
to go on Tamarack Camps’ Alaska trip. 
They each had a pros and cons list — 
literally, handwritten. 
Realizing how badly Simon wanted it, 
Michelle gave in and knew she couldn’t 
take the opportunity away from him. An 
agreement was made that if he went to 
Alaska this summer, he had to strongly 
consider Israel for next year.
On July 5, a few weeks into his Alaska 
trip, Simon made his one and only phone 

call on the 48-day trek to Michelle and his 
father, Scott. 
Michelle and Scott were actually out of 
the country on a cruise, in the middle of 
the North Sea. They had been worrying 
for days that the call may not come 
through and they wouldn’t be able to 
successfully talk to their son. 
The call came through, in the middle of 
the night, and they could hear their son as 
clear as day. 
Though it was the final time they spoke 
with him, and while the call was only a 
few minutes long, Simon uttered words 
they’ll remember forever:
“I’m having the time of my life,” Simon 

said. “
And I don’t regret this decision for 
a minute.” 

A LIFE WELL-LIVED
Simon Jay Mirkes, of Farmington Hills, 
died July 17, 2023, at the age of 16.
Simon’s life will not be defined by his 
untimely death or the number of years 
he lived, but rather by the life he lived 
in those years. And Simon — the kind, 
intelligent, respectful, loving, witty young 
man he was — lived the right way. 
Born May 18, 2007, Simon’s many 
special qualities were noticed early on. 
In elementary school, Simon won a 
kindness award. Throughout the years at 

Simon Mirkes, who tragically passed away 
without warning at age 16, had an innate kindness.

A Legacy of Kindness 

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

Simon’s bar 
mitzvah photo 
from 2020

PAUL STOLOFF

