UPDATED: March 31 4:20 p.m.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS – Longtime LGBT ally Linda Lee, 69, died March 31. The funeral is April 1 at 2 p.m. at Ira Kaufman Chapel, 18325 Nine Mile Road, Southfield MI 48075. Rabbi Joseph Krakoff and Cantorial soloist Neil Michaels will officiate.
Lee championed many causes including the Jewish Gay Network of Michigan and the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition. She was also the former president of the Jewish Community Center in Bloomfield Hills.
"The world was made a better place because she was here with us. Linda championed many causes including the Jewish Gay Network of Michigan and the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition. She truly embodied the spirit of "Tikkun Olam". With heavy hearts, we will miss this wonderful lady that touched so many of our lives," said Michael Phillips, JGN Committee Chair.
Linda is survived by Henry, her husband of 46 years, daughter Sheri Lee (Dennis Brodsky) and son Andy (Benita) Lee; grandchildren Felix and Hugo Brodsky, Asher and Hudson Lee; sisters Susan (Roger) Hertzberg, Bonnie Marash and the late Pamela Miller; in-laws Dr. Irwin Miller, Larry Kamen, Linda (the late Jim) Albert, nephew Scott (Julie) Kamen, other nieces and nephews and a world of friends.
Lee made connections between seemingly unlikely allies a staple of her outreach as captured by community activist Michelle Brown. "We activists are often asked why we do what we do. We are rarely acknowledged, pushed to the limit of patience, often misunderstood and seldom paid. Linda Lee lived the answer. She was committed, dedicated and passionate about equality. She loved her fellow man/woman and could see the best in us even when we couldn't see it in ourselves. She pushed, pulled and sometimes dragged us, myself included, to the table always with love. She once told me I needed to attend a JGN meeting, when I said "but Linda I'm not Jewish" she said "and " then proceeded to tell me about the work we had to do. We lost a (s)hero, a giant and a friend," said community activist Michelle
For more information on funeral services go to http://www.irakaufman.com
Read an interview with BTL several years ago.
Helping to Unite Gays and Jews
Excerpt: People often ask her why a straight woman has devoted so much time to the gay community, she said.
"I'm not the type of person who sits on my hands," she said. "In my world, there are people who are nice and people who are not so nice. The rest of the adjectives are immaterial."
