Alan Demsky

05/26/1948 - 08/12/2025

Our beloved friend, father, grandfather, brother, and husband, Dr. Alan J. Demsky, DDS, 77, of Pinckney, Michigan, died unexpectedly on August 12, 2025, during a medical procedure to repair a heart arrhythmia. He loomed large in the lives of those he loved and who loved him, and the loss is impossible to put into words.
He is survived by his wife, Michelle Ben-Ezra Demsky; sister Maxine Demsky Nunes; sons Ian and Zak Demsky and their wives Kelly Davenport and Sara Demsky; grandsons Parker Demsky, Paxton Demsky, and Jacob West; and his good boy Duke "Dukie" Demsky. He is also survived by his ex-wife and the mother of his children, Constance "Connie" Talcott Johnston Doyle.
Alan was born May 26, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up in a tight-knit Jewish family. He idolized his father, Harvey Demsky, with whom he had a special and close bond. And he continued his strong, loving, and supportive relationship with his mother, Bernice Demsky, through caring for her during her final years with us in Michigan. He remained close, too, with his sister, Maxine, and texted and chatted with her often.
He joyfully found love again later in life, marrying Michelle in a home ceremony in 2019 that was officiated by his friend of more than 50 years, Michael Samuelson. August 24 would have been their six-year wedding anniversary. The 13 years they were together were some of his happiest, and his family took great joy in his joy.
Alan completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Buffalo before attending the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, from which he graduated with a doctorate of dental surgery. Alan established a successful dental practice in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, where he treated generations of patients for more than 30 years. He was known as a meticulous, thorough, and talented dentist. Patients who moved out of the area would often relate how impressed their new dentists were with the quality of his care. He was also active in the civic life of the community, including longtime involvement with the Kiwanis Club of Whitmore Lake.
Above all, Alan was a happy man. He relished life's simple pleasures: a good cup of coffee, lamb chops, ribs, bacon and eggs, Frasier re-runs (no matter how many times he had seen them before), working out, spending time with his friends and family, and going out in the driveway to hit a ball for Duke to retrieve. He embraced his role as the head of our family, and loved to have his children, grandchildren, and friends over to enjoy his amazing home-cooked meals.
We especially remember Alan for the values he held, embodied, and instilled in his children: integrity, perseverance, equality, fairness, justice, compassion, humility, generosity, humor, selflessness, and responsibility.
A memory service will be held in Alan's honor on Thursday, August 21st, at 2 p.m. at Nie Funeral Home, 3767 W. Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI. Gathering will begin at 1 p.m.