In death a greater legacy

Elvis Presley would have celebrated his 75th birthday on January 8. Thousands were on hand at the Graceland mansion to commemorate the occasion. I am totally fascinated with Elvis, not because I loved his music, but rather the fact that, since his death on August 16, 1977, he has been annually one of the highest earning entertainers with his estate bringing in almost $100 million dollars a year. These numbers far exceed his earnings while he was alive.

Michael Jackson at age 50 found himself tens of millions of dollars in debt. So, he was planning his final "farewell" tour when he died of a drug overdose, the drug allegedly administered by his personal physician to help him sleep. Since his death six months ago, his estate has earned an estimated more than $100 million, with his death making a greater impact than he was able to when alive.

Which brings me to Marabel Chanin (see my June 8, 2009 blog). Follow the logic. Marabel Chanin was the woman who became known through a moving report by reporter Brad Edwards of Fox 2 News. She had lived in a veritable fortress mirroring Fort Knox on a street that looked more like a war zone than a neighborhood. Brad wondered why she stayed. It was her home, even though a 9-1-1 call played on air displayed her terror as gunfire rang out amid the makeshift dope houses surrounding her. “If I scream, who will hear me?" was the question that captured the attention of viewers watching the report.

Marabel died on December 26, 2008, but was not buried until May 2009. You see, with no family around, Marabel apparently died peacefully and anonymously - so much so that, until Brad was doing a story on unclaimed bodies at the Wayne County Morgue. He reran his piece announcing that Marabel's body had sat unclaimed until a distant relative called. The relative remembered attending Marabel’s mother's funeral at The Ira Kaufman Chapel long ago.

Brad announced on air the graveside funeral, and much to the surprise of Rabbi Loss, Cantor Neil Michaels and myself, more than 50 people attended her service. It seems that Marabel's death finally brought to her a sense of family that she had lacked for much of her 88 years. Rabbi Loss commented that he had not officiated at a funeral where the deceased had never met those that had come to pay their respects. Marabel Chanin in death seemed to have had a greater impact in death than in her years granted on this earth. No, her estate was not earning millions of dollars, but her death brought perspective to those touched by her story.

Norm Powell took his family to Oakview Cemetery before Thanksgiving and spoke to his family of the blessings of their family, the meaning of Thanksgiving. He called to ask what arrangements have been made to erect a headstone. I met him at the cemetery with Dave Huber of Monument Center. I was touched to not only see fresh flowers on Marabel's grave, but advised by the staff at Oakview that the grave receives fresh flowers regularly and has a constant stream of visitors.

As we stood at the grave, we discussed what the headstone should say. Marabel's stone will read as follows:

"She cried, "If I screamed, who would hear me?"

We heard you

Marabel Chanin

TEACHER

An unveiling of her stone will be held in the spring. I'm assuming Brad Edwards will announce this service too, as he reviews the coverage of Marabel's life and death. I'm guessing that occasion’s tribute to her will once again act as a reminder to all of us to count our blessings for the love of family - Marabel's true legacy.