Helen Josephson

Helen Josephson, age 90, of Portage, Michigan died Thursday, April 26, 2007 at Bickford Cottage in Portage.Mrs. Josephson was born on June 28, 1916 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Morris and Rose (Cohen) Levine. Helen grew up in Rochester, New York and moved to Lincoln, Michigan in 1942. She resided there until 2003, moving to Battle Creek and then to Portage.On December 31, 1942, she married Sanford D. Josephson in Rochester, NY. He preceded her in death on June 20, 1991. The couple co-owned and operated the Josephson IGA Grocer Store in Lincoln, Michigan, taking over the operations Sanford''s father had established in 1911. The couple retired in the early 1970''s after 30 years of doing business.Helen was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star in Lincoln, Michigan. Along with her husband; they belonged to the Alpena General Hospital Auxiliary, where they would drive over 30 miles to do volunteer work there. For her many years of service and volunteerism to the hospital, she was recognized with many awards. She also was a member of the Temple Beth EL in Alpena. Helen enjoyed making dolls, sewing, cooking and baking.She is survived by a son, William (Deborah) Josephson of Kalamazoo; daughter, Esther Klein of Safety Harbor, Florida; six grandchildren, Becky Gorinac of Port Huron, Beth Davis of Okinawa, David Klein of Grand Rapids, Brian Klein of VA , Todd Schieber of Kalamazoo and Mark Schieber of Olympia, WA; great grandchildren, Faruq Schieber, Idrees Schieber, Jacob William Gorinac, Raya Klein, Dania Klein, Katelyn Klein and Steven Klein, and a new great great grandchild soon to be born; a brother, Don Levine of Rochester, NY; and several nieces and nephews.A graveside funeral service to celebrate the gift of her life will be held 1:00 PM Sunday, May 6, 2007 at the Hebrew Cemetery in Alpena. Friends who wish may make memorial contributions to the Borgess Hospice or to the Alpena General Hospital. Assistance with memorials is available at the funeral home. Arrangements are by the Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home, Marshall, Michigan.