Based in Southfield, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation seeks to better the lives of metro Detroiters through providing support to community organizations. The organization focuses on causes related to adult welfare; arts and culture; community enrichment; children, youth, and families; education; and health care. The foundation was first established in 1946 — a time when family foundations were less common — as the Helen L. DeRoy Foundation, with the L initial actually being the first letter of DeRoy’s maiden name. Her family’s success in the oil industry allowed DeRoy to pursue philanthropy, going so far as to “adopt” families during World War II, bringing European families to the U.S. and acting as a matriarch while they settled. The current DeRoy Testamentary Foundation came to be after her death in 1977, built on the success of her and her husband, a dentist-turned-automotive dealer. Her husband Aaron established the Aaron DeRoy Motor Car Co. and was the founder and president of the Michigan Automotive Trade Association.
