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

