Upcoming Services
| Marge Samson |
Sun May 5th at 1:30 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL | |
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Sun Apr 28th at 1:30 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL | |
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Sun Apr 28th at 12:00 CHAPEL AT CLOVER HILL | |
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Sun Apr 28th at 11:30 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL | |
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FUNERAL DETAILS
Richard Harry Colby
Richard Harry Colby, 77, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, died on 24 May 2020. The Funeral was A PRIVATE FAMILY GRAVESIDE SERVICE on Tuesday, 26 May 2020 at 12:00 PM . Rabbi Paul Yedwab officiated. Click  to watch a video of the recorded service.Richard Colby, age 77, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away May 24, 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer for 1 ½ years. He was born in Chicago to the late Leonard L. and the late Mildred Berman Colby (nee Cohen). The family moved to Kalamazoo when Richard was five years of age. He graduated from University High School and attended Michigan State University on a tennis scholarship. Tennis was an important part of his early life. He was a nationally-ranked tennis player in 1956 and 1957, reaching a rank of 23rd in the nation in Boys Singles, and 4th in the nation in Boys Doubles. He also won title for table tennis in the Kalamazoo area. He graduated from Western Michigan University and his first employment was for the Portage Herald newspaper, which was founded by his father. He also wrote for the Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Battle Creek Enquirer News. He moved to Detroit in 1971 to become Director Public Information for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, but in 1973 returned to western Michigan to sell insurance, an endeavor for which he won many awards. He was preceded in death by his only child, Jeffrey Louis Colby, who passed away in 2007. He is survived by his sister Karen Colby (Jerry) Weiner, her three children, Joel (Marcella) Weiner, Doren Weinstein, and AJ (Kara) Weiner, a great-niece, six great-nephews, and loving cousins. He is also survived by his former wife, Peggy DeBoer Colby, a devoted caregiver both before and during his final illness. Metro Detroit’s Jewish funeral homes have agreed that families should follow the directive of Centers for Disease Control and restrict the size of gatherings to no more than 10.
It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Richard Harry Colby may do so by making a contribution to: A Charity of one's choice |