96 | SEPTEMBER 14 • 2023 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY I n the final days of her life, Barbara Nusbaum asked her grandson Zachary to grab a notebook so he could write down all the things she wanted him to know before she could no longer say them. “What she revealed to me is something that is obvious to all of us. She truly had a heart of gold, ” Zachary said at his grandmother’s funeral service. “She told me how sorry she feels inside, that there are some peo- ple in the world who have to go through life without knowing what love is, because everybody is deserving of love. This is the idea that guided my grandma’s entire life. ” Barbara Nusbaum, 88, of Franklin, died after sunset on Aug. 29, 2023. Born in Detroit on Aug. 9, 1935, Barbara was the beloved eldest child of the late Mary and late Donald Samuels. To her only sibling, Gerrie, Barbara was a protective, supportive older sister. Barbara attended Detroit’s Central High School and received a degree in social work from Wayne State University. Although she never actually used the degree on a professional level, she used it in her everyday life as the ultimate voluntary social worker at-large, selflessly providing advice and support to anyone and everyone. Barbara met Irving Nusbaum on a blind date, and it did not take long for them to know they were a match made in heaven. The couple married a year later and went on to enjoy 60+ years of loving and devoted marriage until Irving’s death in November 2018. They had two sons, Arthur and Robert. Their parents complemented each other perfectly, Arthur and Robert said. Barbara served as the “quintessential, traditional helpmate and homemaker, ” freeing Irving, the president and public face of New York Carpet World, to scale the heights of business success. “She enabled my dad, who was working 12 hours a day when we were kids, to become extraordinarily successful — always encouraging him and always by his side, ” Robert said. Each enabled the other to do an enormous amount of good, becoming a longtime phil- anthropic team of legend. “When they became involved in philanthropy, they both together and individually achieved so much good for so many people and organizations, ” Robert added. “Not just by financial support, but by putting in the time and effort to get things done. They truly led by example. ” As well as their generous finan- cial contributions, the Nusbaums gave of their time, supporting local leaders with their wisdom and willingness to help. In the 1970s, the Nusbaums got involved in assisting Jewish Family Service (JFS) with the resettlement of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union. Many refugees immigrated to the United States, many of those to Detroit. Barbara was on the front lines of the effort. Because of her nurturing disposition, Barbara became close friends with many of the families she helped settle. For Jewish holiday dinners, there was a large Russian contingency for decades at the Nusbaum house. The Nusbaums also led the charge in buying bicycles for all of the refugee children to make them feel more at home. Another organization Barbara got involved in very early on was JARC. She was involved for decades, and ultimately became president. Both the Mary and Donald Samuels home, named in honor of Barbara’s parents, and the Nusbaum Family Home, the nation’s first barrier-free, green group home for adults with develop- mental disabilities, bear the Nusbaum legacy. The Nusbaums were benefactors for many other organi- zations, including Yad Ezra, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network and the Zekelman Holocaust Center. They were active members of Beth Abraham Hillel Moses (now Beth Ahm), where they had a great impact over the course of decades. Where Barbara really shined, though, was on an individual basis. “If there were a family or person in need of any help — whether it be financial, emo- tional, advisory, etc. — and you were lucky enough to be led to my mother, your prayers would always be answered, ” Robert said. “She would either help you directly or guide you to a source that would. She didn’t do it for the fanfare. She just did it. ” Along with the proverbial heart of gold, Barbara was literal- ly the recipient of United Way of Southeastern Michigan’s Heart of Gold Award, which honors vol- unteerism and community work. “She was purely good, ” Robert said. “Her whole existence was for helping other people, and family. ” It was indeed family at the core of Barbara’s love and devo- tion. “ As a mother, she was simply the best, ” Robert said. “She was protective, possibly to a fault, when we were kids. But in all her roles as mother, grandmother, wife, sister, sister-in-law, aunt or friend, she was the go-to person for advice, consolation or plain meaningful conversation. ” To Barbara and Irving, their grandchildren were the light of their lives. The adoration was mutual, with the grandchildren being a constant fixture in their home, having sleepovers and Shabbat dinners all the while soaking in their love, knowledge and wisdom. Barbara Nusbaum was the beloved wife of 61 years of the late Irving Nusbaum. Cherished mother of Arthur (Laurie Cowell) Nusbaum and Robert (Lori) Nusbaum. Proud grand- mother of Caleb, Haley, Zachary, Jonathan and Bradley Nusbaum. Loving sister of Gerrie (Harold) Kalt. Dear sister-in-law of Frances Fetter. Devoted daugh- ter of the late Mary and the late Donald Samuels and daughter- in-law of the late Laura and the late Abraham Nusbaum. Also survived by Irene Zvonova, her devoted caregivers, Tore, Sierra, Evelyn, Jaimi and Rachel, and many loving nieces, nephews and a world of friends. Interment was at Beth Abraham Cemetery. It is sug- gested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Barbara Nusbaum may do so by making a contribution to JARC, Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, JFS or a charity of one’s choice. A Heart of Gold DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER Barbara Nusbaum OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY