Neza Shulman

Neza (“Nickie”) Shulman
Charlevoix
“Everyday is a happy day on the Island.”
Neza (“Nickie”) Shulman, age 87, former longtime resident of Mackinac Island, passed away on March 08, 2016 at American House in Charlevoix, Michigan. She was born on April 20, 1929, in the Bronx, NY, the youngest of two children raised by British immigrant Frank Shama, and Russian immigrant Alice Shama. Frank Shama, a struggling NYC cab driver in the early 1930's, heard of a paradise for jobs on Mackinac Island. He sold his hard-earned taxi-cab medallion to relocate his family part-time on the Island. He opened a small kiosk selling souvenirs and fine china on Main Street for 5 years. An opportunity arose to buy lake-front property across from the movie theatre, later the Haunted Theatre. There, he opened Frank Shama’s Gifts, a store known for its exquisite line of Royal Doulton figurines, especially Toby Jugs and Beer Steins. Together Frank and Alice ran the store for nearly 40 years before his daughter Nickie and husband Jack (Shulman) became owners. Together they remodeled and expanded the store and living quarters, adding to the building’s Island legacy. Before marrying Jack, Nickie worked as a bookkeeper in NYC and attended college at night in accounting. Her goal, she later reflected, was to be a Kindergarten Teacher. She felt she understood and loved children. This passion for children and people in general materialized in her radiant smile and ingratiating personality. She greeted every customer in Frank Shama’s Gifts as a personal friend, warmly listening to their stories with genuine empathy. The store was her lifeline to self-esteem and to the world. She was “Frank Shama’s Gifts.” She married twice. Her first marriage to Max Reinstein produced daughter Arlene. Her second marriage to Jack Shulman produced daughter Barbara. Barbara, the youngest, worked diligently with her mother to operate the store for 41 years. Nickie and Jack spent winters in their intercoastal home on Marco Island, Florida. For 25 years until the store sold 4 ½ years ago, Nickie was a full-time resident of Mackinac Island, the place she adored and called her real homestead. She carved a legacy of Frank Shama’s Gifts into the historical record of Mackinac Island. She will be remembered for her quiet charm, warm sensitivity, and impeccable smile. She is predeceased by husbands Max and Jack, and her brother Howard Shama. Nickie is survived by her daughter Arlene and son-in-law Dr. Douglas Ruben; daughter Barbara and son-in-law, Mr. Ralph Corwin; and grandsons Richard, Riley, and Robert and Sister-in-Law, Joyce Shama and nieces and nephews. A Memorial service is being held at Hastings Funeral Home in Elllsworth, MI. March 26, 2016 at 1 P.M