Joan Sachs

Joan (Abrams) Sachs

New York City - Our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away early on January 22, 2018, after a serious fall two weeks earlier. She was 89. She leaves two children, Andrea Sachs and Jeffrey Sachs and daughter-in-law Sonia Ehrlich Sachs; three grandchildren, Lisa Sachs, Adam Sachs and Hannah Sachs; and three great granddaughters, Sienna, Willa and Olive.

Until the accident, Joan was her usual self: full of life and sparkle, reveling in her role as "GG" (Great-Grandmother) to her beautiful three granddaughters, discussing politics, staying in contact by phone and email with family and friends around the world, and enjoying the culture and culinary life of New York City with her doting family and dear friends. Joan watched over us, cheering our efforts, consoling us in any setback, and demanding only that we be kind, loving, attentive to others, and contributing our best to society. She took special pride in the accomplishments of her family.

Joan was born in Detroit, graduating from Central High School in 1945, and Wayne State University in 1949. She married Theodore Sachs in 1950, and celebrated more than 50 years of loving marriage until Ted's death in 2001. Ted was a leading attorney in Michigan, specializing in labor and constitutional law, and was a pioneer of modern reapportionment law.

Private services were held in Detroit on January 25. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Theodore and Joan Sachs Scholarship Fund (798745). Please mail donations to the University of Michigan, English Language and Literature Department at 3187 Angell Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, or give online at http://victo.rs/2AGJzQM