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.