Obituaries
SHIRLEY MORRY
Shirley Morry passed away in Winnipeg on August 20, 2024.
Predeceased by her parents, Sally and Sam Slotnikov and survived by Julius Morry, her beloved husband of 67 years, her loving children, Howard (Hope), Jeff (Sarah), Marla (Ibrahim) and Karyn (Mark), her grandchildren, Josh (Sam), Samantha (Steve), Ben, Matthew and Joel, her sister Helen and nephew Gary. She will be missed by her many cousins and friends.
Shirley grew up in in a proud Jewish home in the fabled North End of Winnipeg. She had a quiet strength, dignity and purpose that made her a loyal friend. Her main purpose in life, as she saw it, was to raise her family. Dad once said to her “the kids are yours until they’re 10”, but 10 years turned into a lifetime, because Shirley never stopped being a mom. She was especially close to her girls, whom she spoke to every day, regardless of where they were. Those calls gave Marla and Karyn a lifetime of love and wisdom. Mom was their champion, their cheerleader, their confidante, with an innate ability to make them feel everything was going to work out. She showed us the true meaning of humility, they said. Mom also loved her boys. She knew the road to Jeff’s heart was through his stomach and made him all his favourites when he visited once a week, more for love and wisdom than for the peanut butter cookies. Jeff defined that wisdom as acceptance, embracing imperfections with an open heart. She instilled in him the value of grace under pressure, he said, a true role model for how to treat others. Early on, Mom entrusted Howard, often with more responsibility than he thought he could handle, which allowed him to aim high and risk failure, a subtle but essential life lesson. The family holds fond memories of summers spent at Falcon Lake and Winnipeg Beach. It is only looking back that we realize our endless summers were made possible by Mom looking after endless lunches and laundry. Howard watched as Mom embraced his wife Hope and his own kids, Josh and Samantha, who developed a close and loving relationship with their grandmother. As Shirley’s only granddaughter, Samantha loved “Bobby” to talk, as she put it. At the end of the day, it was more girl-talk than anything. Shirley loved Jeff’s wife, Sarah, and was so proud of their kids, her grandkids, Ben, Matthew and Joel, who had sleepovers when they were young and maintained a close relationship with Bobby all her life. Shirley was also close to Karyn’s partner, Mark, who was a big support to Mom during her health challenge, as well as to Karyn, who never left Mom’s side during that difficult time.
Shirley was raised by a force of nature, her mother, Sally. Bobby Sally, as we called her, lived on in Mom, as did her dad, Sam Slotnikov, a moral superhero who volunteered to serve in the Second World War at age 32. Shirley was a role model for her sister, Helen, who called Shirley her best friend. Her greatest adventure started when she met her bashert, Julius Morry, at a YMHA dance in 1954. Dad was full of big ideas and knew what he wanted from life, and that included a life partner who would share his dreams. He and his friends were finding it hard meeting Jewish girls, so Dad went to the head of the YMHA and proposed a monthly dance, where he would look after everything. Within a couple of months, the YMHA Dance was attracting 250 to 300 kids a month. A lot of marriages came out of those dances, including his own. He went to one fateful dance with his date, who introduced him to her best friend, Shirley Slotnikov. He remembers exactly what she was wearing, the colour of her skirt and hair. When he found out her Yiddish name was Tsipie, he decided he would never call her anything else. A couple of weeks later, he asked Tsipie to go steady, she said no, she was too young, so he asked her out every week, week after week, and she always said yes. Afraid to ask for her hand in marriage, one day he said, “when we’re married…”, and when Tsipie didn’t protest, he bought her a ring and booked the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. In the end, Mom wanted nothing more than to attend her grandson Josh’s wedding to his bashert, Sam Holloway. She lived to see the wedding ceremony on a live video feed from New York City, where the Rabbi gave her a shout out from the Bima. Mom was so proud of her loving family that day.
Mom, Bobby, Shirley, Tsipie, you are forever in our hearts. You live on in Dad, in us, in our kids, and soon in theirs. We will get through this together, as you would have wanted. As a family. As your family. We are grateful to Rabbi Matthew Leibl, who led a graveside service at Shaarey Zedek Cemetery followed by a meal of consolation at the Asper Jewish community Campus and a shiva at Howard and Hope’s home. The pallbearers were Shirley’s beloved grandchildren and her nephew, Gary. Donations may be made to The Shirley and Julius Morry Leave More Than Memories Endowment at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba or to the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Clarice Yentel Shell (Marantz) May 7, 1927 – May 13, 2025
Surrounded by family, our beloved Mom and Baba said goodbye at age 98. She is survived by her son Barry, and daughters Miriam and Ruth, her daughter-in-law Dorinda Neave, grandchildren Davina and Sam (Elisha) and great grandchildren, Benjamin and Rose.
Clarice, known as “Cal” was the last of her generation to leave us. She was predeceased by her parents Joe and Razel Marantz, brothers Chip (Shirley) and Basie (Shirley) and her brothers and sisters-in-law in the Shell family, Hymie (Kay), Pauline (Sam Zinman ) and Bill (Ruth). She was also predeceased by her loving husband of 54 years, Ben Shell and her son in law, Harry Sumner.
Born in Winnipeg, Cal was a trail blazer her entire life. She had numerous volunteer and professional achievements. One of her legacies was her ground breaking research to earn her Masters degree in Social Work in 1966. This led to Cal joining the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba where she made enduring changes to the core curriculum during her 15-year career.
Alongside her enormous contributions to the community, Cal was devoted to her large extended family. This was evidenced by her attendance at the weekly zooms and every major family event including her last visit to Winnipeg at age 97 for a very special Bat Mitzvah. She was a role model, a mentor, and a confidant to many. A skilled listener, Cal had an uncanny way of engaging others. She spoke her truth, helping to make changes and get things done. Cal knew the names and relations of the entire Shell and Marantz extended families and instead of counting sheep, she would often lie there recalling every single name, in every generation, all around the world, until she fell asleep. Her commitment to staying connected will always be remembered as one of her finest gifts.
In 2015, at age 88 Cal moved to Vancouver to be closer to her immediate family members. We thank the amazing staff and her friends at Legacy Senior Living who helped make the last 10 years of mom‘s life rich and full. We would also like to thank Dr. Alex Lecky for his years of excellent care, Colleen Riley and the gifted medical team at Vancouver General Hospital, who made her comfortable in her last days.
Cal was a remarkable person who lived a remarkable life. She will be dearly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.
Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba, of which she was a founding member, or the Cal Shell‘s Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. More details about Cal’s life can be found on her Book of Life page
https://bookoflife.jewishfoundation.org/ebol-donors/clarice-cal-shell
Obituaries
LOUIS COLISH FEBRUARY 15, 1945 – APRIL 23, 2025
With great sadness, we announce the unexpected passing of Louis Colish at the Health Sciences Centre, surrounded by friends. He was predeceased by his parents, William (Bill) and Bessie, whom he deeply cherished. Loui considered his father to be his best friend and he was a devoted caregiver to his mother in her later years.
Born in Winnipeg on February 15, 1945, Louis grew up in Garden City. He had a long and fulfilling career as a Reference Librarian at the West Kildonan Library, where he assisted countless patrons with their questions. Even in retirement, people he would meet often recognized him as “the librarian”.
Louis cherished his relationships with his family and friends. Those who had the privilege of knowing him described him as incredibly friendly, one of their favourite people, and simply the nicest guy.
A lifelong learner, Louis treasured his extensive book collection, with a particular love for astronomy and the works of Carl Sagan. He delighted in sharing stories of his travels to Europe, Hawaii, Arizona, Disney World, and his most cherished destination, Israel. He also enjoyed attending his bowling league, the Rady JCC’s senior program, and the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre. He loved music from the 1940s and 50s and delighted in performing his favourite tunes in talent shows at the Rady JCC and Gwen Secter programs.
Louis was a devoted member of the Rosh Pina and Etz Chayim synagogues. Fellow congregants fondly remember his passionate and dramatic chanting of the Prayer for Peace from the bimah—a heartfelt expression of his deep hope for a peaceful world.
A graveside service was held on April 25, 2025, at Rosh Pina Memorial Park.
Louis was a kind and generous soul who will be missed but never forgotten.
Obituaries
HERB SINGER
Peacefully, with his family by his side, Herb Singer passed away on April 3, 2025.
He is survived by his daughters, Leslie (Sheppy Coodin), Marnie and Sheryl (Kevin Segall). He is also survived by grandchildren, Josh Glow (Leah), Sari Glow, Justin Segall and Hayden Segall, his brother Earl (Mimi), and sisters-in-law, Maureen Steinfeld (Leo) and Bonnie Dressler (Kenny). He was predeceased by his wife Myrna, his parents, Anne and Dave Singer and in-laws, Irma and Harry Nepon.
Herb was born on February 26, 1944, in Winnipeg and spent his early years on the family farm in Ratcliffe, Saskatchewan before the family moved into the city, eventually settling on Smithfield in the North End.
Herb attended West Kildonan Collegiate, excelling in both academics and sports. Herb and Myrna grew up between Salter and Aikins but did not attend the same high school because the back lane between Smithfield (where Herb lived) and McAdam (where Myrna lived) was the dividing marker for St. John’s and West Kildonan. They met in 1960, having been introduced by a neighbour of Myrna’s who was friends with Herb. It was love at first sight; they married in 1966 after graduating from the University of Manitoba.
Herb received his CA designation in 1972. He began his career in public practice but then switched to working as the controller of GIII Limited, which he said allowed him to spend more time with his family.
Herb and Myrna loved spending summers with their girls travelling to Detroit Lakes with other Winnipeggers. Later years found the family travelling campgrounds in Canada and the US in the trailer and finally settling in for summers at Gimli, where the family has happy memories of days at the beach and nights by the campfire.
Herb was an athlete all his life; he played basketball and football as a teenager and then played squash, tennis, racquetball and golf as an adult. Herb spent much of his retirement on the golf courses with friends and grandchildren and also loved his bowling league.
Herb and Myrna loved travelling and together explored China, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, England and Israel just to mention a few places.
Herb was an extremely social person and connected with many people over the years through golf, bowling, bridge and through winters in Palm Springs.
Herb was a supporter of community organizations over his years. He helped organize fundraising dinners for Talmud Torah when his children were students, he was umpire at his girls’ baseball games and in later years, he helped with fundraising at Congregation Etz Chayim, particularly with the yearly Golf tournament as well as the Lottery Brunch. He also donated blood well over 100 times.
His most rewarding role was that of Zaida. He loved spending time with his grandchildren whether it was attending concerts, games or marking a special occasion. He would always make sure his freezer was full of meatballs and ice cream and his cupboard was full of treats for their visits.
Herb loved watching sports on TV and rarely missed a Bomber or Jets game. He particularly enjoyed watching with his family and friends and thought himself an excellent armchair coach!
A funeral service was held at Chesed Shel Emes with burial at Rosh Pina Memorial Park on April 4, 2025.
Those who are wishing to honour Herb are encouraged to make a donation in his memory to Congregation Etz Chayim or to the charity of their choice.