Fred Maloof, St. Clair Shores jeweler and philanthropist, dies
Sep 1, 2017Clair Shores, died Wednesday. He was 95Fred Maloof, founder of Maloof Jewelry & Gifts, died Dec. 21, 2016. He was 95(Photo: Maloof Jewelry & Gifts)Fred J. Maloof, founder of Maloof Jewelry & Gifts in St. Clair Shores, was the kind of man who would become your family if he thought you may need it.Mr. Maloof, noted philanthropist in St. Clair Shores and former owner of Maloof Jewelry and Gifts, died from natural causes on Wednesday. He was 95.Harry Thompson, current owner of Maloof Jewelry and gifts, discovered Mr. Maloof’s propensity for compassion 59 years ago when Mr. Maloof owned a shop on Kercheval Avenue in Detroit. Thompson – who has been the owner of the jewelry store on Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores for the past 20 years – came looking for work. He was just 10 years old at the time but still wanted a job sweeping the shop’s floor.He was almost turned away, he said, but Mr. Maloof soon reversed the decision. He wound up finding a business partner in Thompson, and soon enough Thompson said he saw Mr. Maloof as a father figure. Thompson had come from a broken family.“I was a big part of his life, basically I’ve been more of a son to him,” Thompson said Friday. “I’ve been taking care of him and helping him. We had a very beautiful father-son type relationship.”Mr. Maloof’s kindness thrived in St. Clair Shores and Detroit as well. He donated $248,000 to St. Clair Shores to build a pavilion at the center of Veterans Memorial Park, which was unveiled in 2012. It was the largest gift by a single individual in the city’s history, the Free Press reported at the time.In addition to that contribution, Mr. Maloof also made a point of helping children with developmental and physical disabilities, as well as the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Thompson said.Mr. Maloof is survived by Thompson, as well as his nieces, Lori Karns and Lynn Brown and nephew, Billy Karns. Additionally surviving are great-nieces Natalie Corbett, Paige Karns and Nicole Karns, an... (Detroit Free Press)
