MAY 16 • 2024 | 61

I

n the early morning hours 
of May 5, 2024, Edith 
Kozlowski (nee London) 
passed away peacefully and 
surrounded by love in her 
West Bloomfield home. 
A fun-loving, quick-witted 
and selfless person, Edith 
packed a lot of 
life into her 101 
years. A native of 
Radom, Poland, 
Edith spent time 
sewing buttons 
on SS uniforms 
in the larger of 
the two ghettos 
in her hometown, 
later convincing 
the foreperson 
that she knew 
how to use an electric sewing 
machine despite no prior 
experience, an example of her 
resourcefulness and bravery. 
She understood early that her 
worth to the Germans would 
be determined solely by her 
usefulness. 
With that in mind, she got 
her sisters, Sally and Helen, 
jobs in the same clothing 
factory. In August of 1942, 
the Germans liquidated the 
Radom ghettos. Edith and 
her sisters were put on a 
train to Blizyn but not before 
being taken to their old 
neighborhood to be shown 
that nothing of their past lives 
remained. 
As the oldest, Edith felt it 
was her time to step up and 
she did. At each selection, 
Edith was sure to be third 
in the line of London sisters 
so she could go where they 
went, for better or worse. 
From the time Edith got Sally 
and Helen jobs in the ghetto 
to the moment they were 
liberated by the British in 
Auschwitz-Birkenau in Spring 
1945, the three were never 

apart. This was a big reason 
they survived.
Despite losing most 
everyone in the war, the 
sisters were reunited with 
Marvin, Edith’s future 
husband, and his father, 
Max, in Wertheim am Main, 
Germany, after Max asked a 
friend of Edith’s if she knew 
of anyone who survived. 
Edith, Sally and Helen all 
arrived in the United States in 
1947. When Marvin arrived 
two years later, he and Edith 
were reunited once more and 
were married a year later, in 
1950. In 1952, the couple, 
eager to rebuild the family 
they had lost, welcomed their 
first child, Jay. Four years 
later, they welcome their 
second child, Ruthie, and 
after another six years, their 
third and final, Joe. 
Marvin and Edith worked 
so hard to give their children 
the lives they deserved. 
Marvin’s workdays started 
before dawn and he would 
rarely get home before 10 
o’clock at night. Edith, with 
her heart of gold, did all she 
could to nurture the children 
while Marvin provided for 
the family. Despite having 
no relevant experience, 
Marvin got a highly sought-
after tailoring job at Sears 
by speaking with the hiring 
managers, sharing his story 
and convincing them that he 
would not fail. 
After 17 years at Sears, 
Marvin and Edith took a big 
chance by opening their own 
store in Bloomfield Hills. The 
landlord didn’t want to rent 
space to them, but, again, 
they made too compelling 
an argument. With Edith in 
charge of sales and Marvin 
doing alterations, the couple 
turned Devon Custom 

Clothiers into a success 
story. The two of them were 
unstoppable. They spent all 
this time and effort providing 
for their kids, and they were 
ultimately able to pay for 
each to attend college and 
medical school; they also 
paid for the kids’ cars. That 
was something in which they 
both always took such great 
pride. It’s hard to imagine 
two people loving and caring 
for their family more than 
Marvin and Edith did. 
The lessons she and 
Marvin have instilled in 
subsequent generations are 
so incredibly valued. The last 
three-and-a-half years that 
Edith lived without Marvin 
were challenging, but she, 
the consummate survivor 
with care from many, most 
notably Ruthie and her nurse, 
Kim, fought until the very 
end. She fought to spend 
more time with her family, 
who loved her so dearly and 
who will miss her more than 
can be expressed. Words can’t 
express the love and closeness 
that Edith and her family 
shared. 
She was the beloved wife 
of the late Marvin Kozlowski. 
Edith is survived by her 
children, Jay (Renee) (the 
late Linda), Ruthie, Joe (Jill); 
her grandchildren, Rachel 
(Jenny), Anna (Bryan), David, 
Julia (Alex), Max, Ben; and 
great-grandchildren, Elliot 
and Sloane; her beloved 
nurse, Kim. 
A graveside service was 
held at Hebrew Memorial 
Cemetery in Clinton 
Township. Contributions may 
be made to the Zekelman 
Holocaust Center or to 
a charity of your choice. 
Arrangement by Hebrew 
Memorial Chapel. 

The Consummate Survivor

Edith 
Kozlowski

and father-in-law, Dr. Paul 
and Phyllis Schneider; 
siblings, Jacqueline “Jackie” 
(Larry) Taffel, Sheila (Dr. 
Barry) Jay, Danielle (Dr. 
Jeffrey) Kalt and Jeffrey 
(Amy) Radin; dear sisters-
in-law, Janet (Andy Kahn) 
Schneider and Marci (Andy) 
Klein; many loving cousins, 
nieces, nephews, other family 
members and friends.
Mickie was the beloved 
wife of the late Steven 
Schneider; daughter of the 
late Harold Radin. 
Interment was held at 
Beth El Memorial Park 
Cemetery in Livonia. 
Contributions may be made 
to the Michigan Parkinson’s 
Foundation, the Ovarian 
Cancer Research Alliance 
or to charity of one’s choice. 
Arrangements by Dorfman 
Chapel.

ELAINE 
WAGMANN, 
88, of 
Farmington 
Hills, died April 
26, 2024. 
She is survived by her dear 
friends, Marilyn Peiss and 
Natalie Baker; “nieces and 
nephews,
” Beverly and David 
Price, Marla and Robert 
Lopater, and their children. 
Elaine was the beloved 
daughter of the late Harry 
and the late Tillie Eglar. 
Contributions may be 
made to Jewish Hospice 
& Chaplaincy Network, 
6555 W
. Maple Road, West 
Bloomfield, MI 48322; or 
Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 
Woodward Ave., Detroit, 
MI 48202. A graveside 
service was held at Adat 
Shalom Memorial Park in 
Livonia. Arrangements by 
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

