64 | OCTOBER 19 • 2023 J
N
A
self-proclaimed “professional
volunteer” and devoted wife,
mother and grandmother, Ellen
Labes was an inspirational role model
to her community and the many people
whose lives she touched.
Her generous spirit and natural leader-
ship skills made her an asset to the many
organizations she served and a beloved
matriarch to her cherished husband and
family. Ellen, who lived in Bloomfield
Hills, passed away on Oct. 3, 2023, at the
age of 90.
“To know Ellen Labes was to love
her,” said Rabbi Joseph Krakoff of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, where Ellen
and her husband, Jim, were longtime
members. “She was the perfect combi-
nation of beauty, grace, elegance and
dignity.”
Ellen demonstrated her commitment to
helping those less fortunate and improv-
ing the community around her by volun-
teering her time to numerous causes and
nonprofit institutions.
Rather than collect a salary, she
enriched the many organizations she
served through her tireless work and
exemplary leadership, and the gratifi-
cation she received in return was worth
more than any paycheck.
“Her life was very much devoted to
community service,” said her husband,
Dr. Jim Labes.
Ellen and her younger brother, Jimmy,
were born and raised in Detroit, where
they had a special relationship that con-
tinued through the ensuing years. At age
7, she began playing the piano, initiating
her lifelong love of music and the arts.
After graduating early from Central High
School, Ellen attended the University of
Michigan, where she earned a degree in
music.
In her junior year, she met her soul-
mate through a fraternity brother of Jim’s.
The two had an immediate connection
that led to a 67-year marriage filled with
romance, shared adventures and mutual
respect. They enjoyed
traveling the world and
spending winters in
Sarasota, watching the
sunset over a platter of
cheese and crackers.
While both were raised
in Reform homes, Ellen
discovered a deeper
connection to Judaism
after they were married.
They joined Congregation Shaarey Zedek
and kept a kosher home, where Shabbat
dinners were a weekly event. They raised
three children in an atmosphere filled
with love and strong Jewish values. At 60,
Ellen became a bat mitzvah for the first
time.
As a result of her dedication, creativ-
ity and instinctive managerial skills,
her volunteer roles repeatedly led to
leadership positions, beginning with a
term as president of Leonard Elementary
School in Southfield in the late 1960s.
She was chairperson of the Meals on
Wheels program and president of the
Women’s Division of Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Over the years, she served on the
boards of JARC, National Council of
Jewish Women (NCJW), Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, Yad Ezra, Jewish Family
Service, the former Fresh Air Society,
Jewish Theological Seminar and the
Jewish Community Relations Council
(JCRC).
In addition to receiving honors from “8
Over 80” and Yad Ezra, she received the
NCJW Hannah G. Solomon award and
the Fred M. Butzel Lifetime Achievement
Award from Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.
But no awards or accolades could
match the pride Ellen derived from her
family. As the children married and had
kids of their own, her joy grew exponen-
tially.
“Family gatherings were her true
happy place,” said her son, Bob Labes.
“Watching her grandchildren, her whole
face lit up … You could see the pure joy
she got from them.”
Her grandchildren were the light of
her life, and she had a special relation-
ship with each one. She kept in touch as
they got older and wanted to know every
detail about their lives. She was able to
meet her first great-grandchild, Rowdy,
just hours before she died.
She remained an avid U-M fan and
was thrilled when her children and three
grandchildren followed suit. She and
Jim had season tickets to the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and attended
the opera and ballet in Florida.
“She was all about family,” said
granddaughter Emily. “She brought us
all together and taught us what family
means.”
Ellen Labes is survived by her devot-
ed husband, Dr. James Labes; cherished
children, Susan (Michael) Fromm, Robert
(Sheryl Markowitz) Labes and Daniel
(Dana) Labes; treasured grandchildren,
Jake Fromm, Casey (Andrew) Nairin,
Emily (fiance Nik Royce) Labes, Peter
(fiancee Addy Clark) Labes, Jordan
Cohen, Arielle Cohen, Joey Labes and
Natalie Labes; great-grandson, Rowdy
Nairin and dear brother, James (Laura)
Sherman as well as many loving nieces,
nephews, cousins and friends. Ellen was
also the sister-in-law of the late Marvin
and Alice Labes and the devoted daughter
of the late Sid and Ethel Sherman.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions honoring the
memory of Ellen Labes may be made to
JARC, Labes Quality of Life Fund, 6735
Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield
Hills, MI, 48301, (248) 940-2617, www.
jarc.org; University of Michigan School
of Music, Theatre & Dance, Ellen Labes
Scholarship Fund, 1100 Bates Drive, Ann
Arbor, MI, 48109, (734) 764-0583, https://
smtd.umich.edu or a charity of one’s
choice. Arrangements by the Ira Kaufman
Chapel.
Tireless Volunteer, Devoted to Service
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
Ellen Labes