Former Detroit Tigers Manager Sparky Anderson once told me that what stood out to him about his time in the Motor City was how generous folks here are and how they can be counted on to help those in need like no other town in America.
Entering the holiday season, I recall that conversation, and the many folks we are blessed to have in our midst this year — well-known CEOs and those whose names aren’t in the news but are making a difference as they make our community better.
Those difference makers were on display Tuesday at Meadowbrook County Club as dozens of business and community leaders — such as Terry Rhadigan, Jennifer Gilbert, Mary Kramer, Amy Loepp, Tricia Keith, Tom Celani, Sandy Riney, Jacque Wiggens, Beth Ardisana, John Fikany, Mindi Fynke, Lori Wingerter, Ben Maibach, Steve Grigorian and Beth Chappell — peeled apples, filled pie shells, pinched them and boxed them up at Sandy Pierce’s annual holiday pie-making event.
Pierce, a senior leader at Huntington Bank, turned her late mom’s tradition of making 30 pies for family into a community endeavor that has grown each year as 550 pies were made Tuesday and given to nonprofit community organizations for holiday meals and also to a few friends and family.
From left, Brad Simmons, Beth Ardisana, Shirley Stancato, Sandy Pierce and Terry Rhadigan make pies for friends and community organizations on Nov. 22, 2022, at Meadowbrook Country Club.
There was one person absent who had attended most years — Brad Simmons, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Sept. 24.
Simmons, 66, retired from Ford Motor Co. a few weeks after last year’s pie event, capping an impressive 43-year career where he started as an auditor in Ford's finance department, rose through the ranks in governmental affairs and finished as director in the office of the executive chairman working for Bill Ford.
Simmons once told me he was going to focus on his nonprofit work in retirement, like for the Boy Scouts of America.
Simmons' funeral at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Beverly Hills was a testament to the gentle soul and giving spirit of Simmons, who embodied the best of Detroit. The church was standing room-only with Bill Ford, Jim Farley and others on hand.
Ford said in a statement honoring Simmons: "Brad and I met by chance during a Ford Motor Co. audit in New Jersey many years ago. It was a meeting that would eventually lead to the lasting and rewarding connection we shared. He was my trusted confidant, he represented me with integrity, and he always had my best interests at heart. For Brad, it was never about himself. In fact, he worked hard to ensure that he stayed behind the scenes, quietly getting the work done.”
Pierce told me Tuesday: “He was the most selfless human being I have ever met. I feel honored to call him a friend. I miss him.”
“Brad was beloved by many,” added Grigorian, who leads the Detroit Economic Club. “He was all about helping others. There were many times he quietly helped with Econ Club initiatives by removing roadblocks and offering valuable suggestions. He just got things done.”
Mary Culler, president of the Ford Motor Company Fund, who had been invited to the pie event but in the past never was able to make it, made sure she was there this year knowing how important it was to Simmons.
“Brad was a selfless individual who always showed up to support his friends and the community,” Culler said. “His office was down from mine and he was always there to listen and provide guidance. He was a role model who gave so much to others. He inspired us all to do more.”
Count me among the duly impressed when I saw Simmons at work at last year’s event, peeling and slicing apples with the precision of a surgeon and at record speed. Others at the table, including General Motors' Rhadigan, also mentioned his acumen and his indelible impact.
“My 30-year friendship with Brad has made me a better person,” said Rhadigan. “That’s the impact he had on everyone who was lucky enough to know him.“
Paying it forward
Like dozens of folks involved with the Goodfellows of Detroit, which started in 1914 to make sure every kid in Detroit got a Christmas gift, Paula Silver has been supporting the nonprofit for as long as she can remember
It’s part of her family’s history.
Her late mom, Jennie Brownlee, was the oldest of eight children born in Detroit during the 1930s to Italian immigrants. While the family had lots of love and food on the table, there wasn’t much left for holiday gifts.
“This is where the Goodfellows came in,” Silver told me. “She received her first dollies and toys from the Goodfellows. What Santa wasn’t able to bring to her family, the Goodfellows did.”
The organization’s “No Kiddie Without a Christmas” mantra continues this season as 26,000 gift boxes are being distributed to children from disadvantaged backgrounds across metro Detroit.
It’s a story that has resonated as Silver continues to tell it to others including her two children to make sure they remember to pay it forward. “It’s called ‘generational giving and gratitude,’ ” she said. “I anticipate my children will give to the Goodfellows long after I’m gone. The Goodfellows exemplify the spirit behind Christmas.”
Cliff and Jennie Brownlee, center surrounded by their four grandkids (from left to right) Morgan, Megan, Jordan and Lauren. Her grandkids learned about the importance of goodfellows from their grandma, Jennie, who talked of it all the time. Paula Silver is today a champion and supports Goodfellows Detroit along with DTE, which has supported Goodfellows for 30 years.
Silver, senior vice president of corporate communications at DTE and DTE Foundation, is pleased her company also is a longtime supporter.
The Goodfellows will sell its holiday newsletter this Monday at Campus Martius Park, Eastern Market and Wayne State University with funds going toward its fundraising goal of $1.2 million this year.
“The donations help us provide for the kids … with the help of generous Detroiters,” said Beth Conley, president of the organization. (See www.detroitgoodfellows.org).
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sunday on CBS Detroit and noon Sunday on Detroit 50 WKBD. It can be found on those stations’ listings on FUBO, Pluto TV, Youtube.com and other places. It is also streamed 8 p.m. weeknights on CBSdetroit.com and the CBSdetroit app.
See PNC’s Mike Bickers, Army Pvt. Isaac Bashu, Ret. U.S. Army Command Sgt. David Dougherty, Rick Pacynski, Annie Nickert and Paula Silver on this Sunday’s show.
