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