JANUARY 18 • 2024 | 53
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ionel Margolick, 81, 
formerly of Franklin, 
died peacefully 
on Dec. 1, 2023, in his 
hometown of Montreal, 
Canada. Margolick was 
a prominent, successful 
businessman and dedicated 
philanthropist whose 
achievements and generosity 
crossed multiple geographic 
barriers. 
He is remembered for his 
strong commitment to the 
Jewish people and Jewish 
ideals, and as a warm and 
giving friend and family 
member. 
Margolick’s curiosity, 
intellect and ability to 
connect with all kinds of 
people enabled him to have 
a business and philanthropic 
impact in the U.S., Canada 
and Israel.
“He was smart, funny and 
gave so much to so many. 
He loved to give advice and 
was a loving, giving person,” 
said his wife, Naomi.
Margolick grew up in 
a working-class Montreal 
neighborhood and worked 
his way through Montreal’s 
McGill University and its 
law school, paying for them 
partly as a taxi and truck 
driver. 
He worked briefly in the 
legal field, found that its 
business aspect appealed 
to him, and then earned an 
MBA at the Wharton School 
of Finance at the University 
of Pennsylvania. 
Margolick was hired 
by Ford Finance, where 
he helped manage its 
huge debt portfolio and 

was subsequently named 
president of Ford Motor 
Credit, a post he held for 
four years, working mainly 
in Venezuela.
He subsequently 
established 
the Margolick 
Financial Group, 
a private equity 
investment 
bank based in 
Farmington Hills 
with interests 
in malls and 
hotels across the 
U.S. Among his 
projects was the 
redevelopment 
of Times Square in New 
York, and he had partial 
ownership for several 
years of the Derby County 
Football Club. 
The Margolicks lived in 
Franklin and later Florida.
Through the late Bill 
Berman, well-known 
Detroit businessman and 
philanthropist, Margolick 
met Rabbi Alon Tolwin, 
founder of Aish Detroit, 
about 15 years ago. The 
two developed a close 
friendship, which led 
to Margolick’s ongoing 
philanthropic support for 
Aish.
“He was very, very smart, 
very inquisitive,” Rabbi 
Tolwin said. “He was an 
irreverent guy — kind of an 
outlier. We met all the time.” 
Margolick grew up in 
a Conservative Jewish 
household in Montreal 
where he had his bar 
mitzvah. “He was a non-
practicing Conservative 

Jew with very strong Jewish 
values and very supportive 
of Israel and the Jewish 
people. We studied ideas. 
It was very informal. 
Traditional Judaism made 
a lot of sense 
to him. He was 
articulate, bold, 
very opinionated 
but reasonable. We 
were two people 
that just clicked,” 
Rabbi Tolwin said.
According to 
Mrs. Margolick, 
her husband 
considered 
his greatest 
achievement to be “giving 
to others.” Margolick liked 
organizations that helped 
people directly, Rabbi 
Tolwin said. 
Margolick served on 
the boards of many Jewish 
and secular nonprofit 
organizations, including 
Kadima, Suite Dreams, 
Beyond Basics, Hebrew 
Free Loan, Jewish Hospice, 
Star Base, The Jewish Fund, 
ORT, Jewish Federation, 
JARC, Hillel and Hadassah. 
He donated funds for 
a room in Jerusalem 
at Hadassah Hospital’s 
Emergency Medical Center 
in memory of his mother. 
In addition, Margolick 
established an annual 
educational series at 
Montreal’s Congregation 
Zichron Kedoshim that 
brought leading political 
figures to speak in memory 
of his parents.
Margolick was also a 
supporter of the Detroit 

Symphony, Wayne State 
University scholarships and 
the Michigan Democratic 
Party. He was a devoted 
University of Michigan 
athletic fan, helping to fund 
a U-M basketball facility. 
“I’m a Michigan fan 
because I feel this is the 
only true elite academic and 
athletic powerhouse, besides 
Stanford, in the country,” 
Margolick said. “I am very 
happy to help Michigan 
basketball get what they 
need.”
Margolick was the 
beloved husband of Naomi; 
father of Jeffrey (Caroline), 
and Andrew (Katie); proud 
grandfather of Zachary, 
Eli, Jake, Lauren and A.J.; 
son of Samuel and Evelyn 
Kravitz Margolick; devoted 
brother of Rhoda Wise 
and brother-in-law of the 
late Ralph Wise. Lionel 
will be fondly remembered 
by Naomi’s son, Dr. Alex 
Sadovsky (Laura) and their 
grandchildren, Silas and 
Sawyer. 
He will be dearly missed 
by his nieces, nephews, 
cousins and best friends 
Nuchum Segal, Jeff Talpis, 
Jay Richman and Steve 
Miller. 
The funeral and burial 
were in Montreal.
Those who were close to 
Margolick describe him as 
an intelligent, personable, 
friendly, loyal, and a true 
friend of individuals and the 
community. 
The family welcomes 
memorial donations to any 
charity. 

A Legacy of ‘Giving to Others’ 

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

SHARI COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

