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.