R

ACHEL SIEGEL (b. Lois Tachna), 88, 
died peacefully, on Dec. 25, 2023. 
She was born on April 17, 1935, 
during the Depression, which gave her a 
deep appreciation for everything life gave her. 
Rachel was born and grew up in Detroit and 
remained a Detroit and Michigan sports fan 
until her last breath. She was 
the oldest of two children. Her 
brother Selden Tachna preced-
ed her in death.
She graduated from Detroit 
Central High School in 1953, 
started college at the University 
of Michigan and received her 
bachelor’s degree in education 
from Wayne State University. 
She went on to receive a mas-
ter’s in educational psychology 
from Wayne State. She was 
proud to work as a teacher in 
Oak Park and at St. Michael’s 
and as a therapist both privately and at The 
Haven in Pontiac. 
Rachel married Albert Resnick in 1957; 
shortly thereafter they moved to Mahopac, 
N.Y., where their first three children, Jeffrey 
David, Harry Nathan and Henry Douglas, 
were born.
In 1965, she and her family moved back to 
Michigan and settled in Oak Park. In 1966, 
her son Henry Douglas died from complica-
tions from a pertussis vaccine. Her daughter, 
Sarah Allison, was born in 1969.
Because Rachel needed to move on from 
her childhood, she changed her name from 
Lois to Rachel in the mid-1970s.
In 1987, she met the man who made all 
her dreams come true, Peter Siegel. They 
married on April 30, 2000, and lived in West 
Bloomfield. Very early in their relationship, 
they began to travel all over the world, some-
thing she had only dreamed of doing prior 
to meeting Peter. Indeed, she went to Israel 
for the first time with him, even though she 
had previously sent Jeff, Nathan and Sarah to 
Israel as teenagers.
Rachel was always a strong, independent 
thinker and a fierce advocate for what was 
right. She was a Zionist as a child even before 
the State of Israel was born, which was not a 
popular thing to do back then, even for Jews. 
She returned to Israel frequently with Peter, 

including spending many winters there volun-
teering teaching English to new immigrants.
In the 1970s, Rachel discovered she had 
extraordinary artistic talent and went on to 
create many beautiful works of art in multiple 
media, including painting, sculpture, stained 
glass and woven arts. Her children proudly 
display many of her works of art 
in their homes. Rachel played 
piano and continued to take 
piano lessons well into her 80s 
until her dementia made playing 
piano too difficult.
Peter, who is a retired doctor, 
liked to lovingly joke that Rachel 
had a genetic defect: She only 
gave birth to lawyers. While it is 
true that Jeff, Nathan, and Sarah 
are all lawyers who have had very 
successful careers, her children 
believe it was their mother’s love 
for advocating for what was right 
that inspired them to become lawyers.
Along with Peter, Rachel was very chari-
table. During the years they spent their win-
ters in Israel, they received an award from 
American Friends of Magen David Adom for 
donating the cost of an ambulance to Israel.
Rachel is survived by her husband, Peter 
Siegel; her children and their spouses, Jeff and 
Sheryl Spitzer-Resnick, H. Nathan and Aurora 
Resnick, and Sarah Resnick Cohen and Steve 
Cohen; her grandchildren, Joshua Spitzer-
Resnick, Zachary and Jordan Resnick, Dylan 
Resnick, Jonah Cohen and Leah Cohen; her 
stepdaughter, Carolyn Siegel (Kevin Rhoades).
The family would like to extend its deep 
appreciation to the caregivers who made it 
possible for Rachel to live comfortably in 
her own home in her final years including 
Brandy Perry-Carter, Takina Washington, 
Kelly Burns, Jenine Conners, Kendrea 
Douglas, Sharon Buckner, Latita Green and 
Tayna Gaines.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park 
Cemetery. Contributions may be 
made to American Friends of Magen 
David Adom, 3175 Commercial Ave., 
Suite 101, Northbrook, IL 60062, 
link.edgepilot.com/s/42a5c873/
NRYPtrnrwECLuh1LxgArAA?u=https://
afmda.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman 
Chapel. 

An Artist & Advocate

JANUARY 4 • 2024 | 53
J
N

Rachel Siegel 

Chaitoff; loving grandchil-
dren; Elana (Maxwell) Merzin, 
Marni (Meghan) Schroeder, 
Lila Weinstein (fiancé, Jordan 
Smith), Madison Chaitoff 
and Jordan Chaitoff; adoring 
great-grandchildren, Mason 
and Emmett Schroeder; sister-
in-law, Sandra (Larry) Zinn; 
niece and nephew, Robin (Jim) 
Felton, Mitchell (Virginia) 
Abrams; many other loving 
family members and friends. 
Barbara was the mother of 
the late Martin Weinstein. 
Interment took place at 
Machpelah Cemetery in 
Ferndale. Contributions 
may be made to Temple Shir 
Shalom or Jewish Hospice 
and Chaplaincy Network. 
Arrangements by Dorfman 
Chapel. 

ALFRED 
ZYDOWER, 94, 
of Madison 
Heights, died 
Dec. 23, 2023. 
He is survived 
by his sister, Anna 
Lindemann; 
niece and neph-
ews, Debby and 
Eugene Stewart, 
Fred Cahn; 
many loving great-nieces and 
great-nephews, great-great-
nieces and great-great-neph-
ews, and many friends. 
Alfred was the loving son 
of the late Hugo and the late 
Erna Zydower; caring broth-
er-in-law of the late Gunter 
Lindemann; dear uncle of the 
late Susan Cahn. 
Contributions may be made 
to the Zekelman Holocaust 
Center, 28123 Orchard Lake 
Road, Farmington Hills, MI 
48334. A funeral service was 
held at the chapel at Hebrew 
Memorial Park. Interment 
took place at Hebrew 
Memorial Park. Arrangements 
by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

