Southfield COVID-19 Community Memorial

The City of Southfield will install memorial flags as a tribute to residents who lost their lives to COVID-19 on the front lawn of the Southfield Municipal Campus. The flag memorial will be on display from May 10-28 in addition to a candlelight vigil that will take place on May 11 at 8 p.m. which will include a reading of the names of community members who have passed.

The City of Southfield is inviting residents to honor lost loved ones by submitting their names, a brief bio (350 character limit) and a photo (optional) to be included in an online memorial at www.cityfosouthfield.com as well as at the candlelight vigil. Submissions should be e-mailed to kbryant@cityofsouthfield.com by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 7 to be included.

To date, 265 Southfield residents have succumbed due to the COVID-19.

Fredrick Douglas Murdock passed 4/7/20, 1 month after turning 100 years old. Born in Statesville, NC, Fredrick completed high school and worked on family farms. He joined the Navy and was honorably discharged in 1946. Made Detroit his home and married Ida Dorsey in 1958. Retired from U.S. Post Office, member of Westminster Church of Detroit and Past-Master Mason of Mt. Pavan Lodge No. 2.

Evleen Shammami Arafat, a resident of Southfield for 32 years, lost her battle to COVID-19 on September 7, 2020. Evleen was a humble and caring soul; she fought a tough fight with dignity, hope and optimism, never complained and even in the end never stopped fighting. She loved her family and is greatly missed.

Michelle DeSouza was employed at WGPR from 1976-1994 where she began her career as traffic clerk and climbed to the position of Director of Broadcast Operation and telecommunications at Viacom CBS. She received an Emmy and Silver Circle Award for her contributions. Michelle mentored high school and college students in their pursuit of careers in broadcasting and marketing. She sung with the Brazeal Dennard Chorale and was active in her church and the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Brenda Perryman taught speech and drama at Southfield High School from 1988-2010. She directed the annual fall and spring plays at the school. In addition, she was an accomplished poet and write. For many years she hosted “Table Talk” on community access cable TV, Comcast 20/WHPR. Prior to coming to Southfield she taught speech and English in Highland Park.