Obituaries
ANNIE NOZICK (nee ROSSEN)
October 13, 1918 – October 13, 2018
Our family is so sad to announce that Anne passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at her home, in the early morning hours of her 100th birthday.
She is predeceased by her parents, Mary and Joseph Rossen, her brothers, Robert Rossen and Allyn Rossen (Doris), her sisters, Fanny Kaufman (Dave) and Dolly Silverman (Izzie), and grandchild Lori Nozick. She is also predeceased by her husband and life-partner of 62 years, Manuel Nozick. Anne is lovingly remembered and will be deeply missed by her children: Michael Nozick (Cheryl Ashley), Robert Nozick and Marcia Nozick (Doug Aason); her grandchildren, Jennifer Ritter (Alan), Kimberly Nozick, Josh Nozick (Emily), Holly Steele and Jacob Steele (Laura Montgomery); and her great-grandchildren, Brianna Ritter, Madeline Ritter, Alia Steele, Mirabai Steele, Scarlett Nozick and Cody Nozick. Anne was born and grew up in Winnipeg’s North End. She attended I.L. Peretz, Machray, and Faraday schools. She was a brilliant student and finished high school at 15 years of age. She was also a talented dancer and acrobat. Anne’s early childhood had its hardships. She lost her brother Robert and then her father within one year of each other, when she was 11 and 12 years old, and her family consequently struggled with abject poverty during the years of the Great Depression. Consequently, Anne was not able to follow her dreams of becoming a doctor, and instead got a job working as a clerk at the Nozick Commission clothing company, on Albert Street. Even though her life had hardships, Anne never lost her spunk and enthusiasm for life. She was social and vivacious. She attended community dances, and proudly told us that her dance card was always full. Through her workplace, she met her future husband Manuel, and they were married in 1939. After his retirement until he passed in 2001, they spent 20 years wintering as snowbirds in Florida. Anne and Manuel built a beautiful life together. Known to those who loved them as Annie and Mannie, or Annual and Manual, they raised their three children in a loving home. Anne was active in various Jewish organizations, including Hadassah Wizo, ORT, and the National Council of Jewish Women. She became a self-taught (and truly excellent) piano player. She enjoyed golf, bridge, canasta, and Mah-Jong. She was a master chef and baker, and so many of her delicious recipes live on through her children and grandchildren. She could do anything she set her mind to. She was always laughing and smiling, and she always had a sparkle in her eye. Anne, together with Manuel, took so much joy in being grandparents. To her grandchildren, she was Grandma Bunny, or Grandma, and she simply doted on all of them. She always made time for visits, sleepovers, special meals and treats, and visits to Florida in the wintertime. She had a compassionate ear and sage advice. She made everyone feel special. Anne was always fiercely independent and strong-willed. She coped with and grieved the loss of her husband in 2001, and then rebuilt her active life surrounded by family, friends, and the hobbies she always loved. She became a great-grandmother and built meaningful relationships with her great-grandchildren. Anne lived independently well into her 90s. She continued to drive and buy her own groceries. She embraced change and technology and became a user of Facebook and Netflix. She always had a passion for life and a love of experiencing new things, and she lived her life to the fullest. The last few years brought their share of physical challenges for Anne, and she handled them with courage, mettle, and grace. At age 96, she had a terrible fall and required a four-month hospital stay to mend her shattered pelvis. Her care team was astounded when she almost completely recovered, save for usually using a walker to reduce the risk of falling again. Following her discharge, Anne moved into Shaftesbury Park Assisted Living. She made new friends and embraced crosswords, Sudoku, Chair Zumba, and Brain Games. She took impeccable care of her appearance, and she always wore a flower in her perfectly coiffed hair. Although she became increasingly frail over the last few years, she never lost her mental acuity and wit, and she took great pride in her memory and attention to detail. She didn’t ever forget a birthday or an anniversary, and she didn’t let us forget them either. There was always a phone call and a card, and sometimes even another phone call reminder. Anne embraced her age and the passage of time. She was reflective of her experiences, and she fondly remembered and talked about the family and friends that predeceased her. She treasured the relationships she had, and she told us that she loved us, often. She claimed that she hated people knowing her age, but loved telling people. She was so looking forward to the celebration of her 100th birthday party. Our family is heartbroken that we didn’t get to celebrate her birthday with her, yet, our family is blessed and we were all enriched, to have had a person like her in our lives, and we are truly grateful that we had her for so long. She was vital, happy, young at heart and so full of life and laughter, through to her very last day. Annie was interred on October 15 at Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. We are grateful to pallbearers, Alan Ritter, Michael Ritter, Ted Lyons, Bobby Goldberg, Josh Nozick and Jacob Steele. Our family are also so grateful to Neva who attended to so many of Anne’s needs, and to her caregivers and companions, especially Odessa and Victoria, and others from Esther’s Group, for their love and care for Anne over the last few years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Manuel and Anne Nozick Fund at The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, Diabetes Canada – Manitoba Division or Parkinsons Society Manitoba.
Obituaries
RITA TRITT
March 29, 1925 – February 22, 2025
Just a month before her 100th birthday, Rita passed away peacefully with family by her side. She was the last of her generation of the large Weidman family, one of the earliest Jewish families in Winnipeg. Growing up in Winnipeg, she attended the University of Manitoba and the University of Minnesota, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from there. Rita was a very talented artist; she attended the Forum Art Institute for many, many years where she enjoyed the mentorship and camaraderie of fellow artists. She was proud of having sold several hundred pieces of her work over her time there.
Rita was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Joe Tritt, in 1986. She is survived by her loving family, her children: Jacki and Sheldon Koven, Steven Tritt and Sharon Goszer Tritt; grandchildren: Lesley Koven and Eric Thomas, Mara Koven-Lapointe and Ryan Lapointe, Joseph Tritt and Shaun Castor; great-grandchildren: Ayla and Eli Thomas, and Kate Lapointe.
Funeral services were held on February 24, 2025. Rita’s family is grateful for the warm and attentive care of Sherryl and Sergio and all the staff on Weinberg 1 at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre where Rita lived for the last 3 years. If friends wish, a donation in Rita’s memory can be made to the Simkin Centre or the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
Obituaries
ISABELLE BOOK
It is with sadness and gratitude for a life well lived, that we announce the passing of our family matriarch Isabelle Book. Izzy was born on November 21, 1925, and passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
She was predeceased by her parents Clara and Jacob Brownstein, her brother Walter, her sister Minnie Goldman, her beloved husband Arthur, her brother-in-law Noel and a fabulous group of women who shared a friendship that lasted decades.
She is survived by her 4 children, Warren and Faye Book, Marilyn and David Pressman, Jacqueline and Jory Stillwater and David and Elaine Book. She was a very proud Baba to Hilary Book, Deborah Book and Mike James, Laurie and Ginny Stillwater, Kayleigh and Barrett Ruggles, Adam Book and Gabe Bloomfield-Book and Seth Book and Amy Shore. She so enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of her great-grandchildren Hugo, Marcus, Reese, Maverick, Richie and Sullivan. She will also be greatly missed by her sister -in- law and dear friend Shirley Book.
Izzy had a great sense of humour and was often unable to get to the punchline of a joke because she was laughing so hard. She could be stubborn and strong minded. She would dig in her heels if she felt she was being pushed to make a decision she wasn’t ready to make. Izzy enjoyed time with family and friends but was also very comfortable with her own company.
Izzy knew what it meant to be a friend. She was a kind compassionate woman who cherished the people in her life and was always our biggest fan. Our mom was a quality human being who never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Izzy lived by the Golden Rule. She lived a long, healthy life but remained seriously young at heart.
There are memories to last a lifetime, ones that we will keep close as we honour her memory. We were blessed to have her for as long as we did, strong, loving and sharp until almost the end. She modeled what it meant to live a good life. She also did it on her terms.
The funeral took place on Sunday, February 9 at the B’nai Abraham Cemetery with Rabbi Kliel Rose officiating. Pallbearers were her grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the incredible staff at the Rosewood (Maple House) where she lived. She bonded with many of the wonderful people who cared and supported her there.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Naomi Lander Rosenthal February 14, 1940 – February 12, 2025
Naomi Lander Rosenthal was born in Winnipeg and passed away two days shy of her 85th birthday. She was the daughter of Drs. Jacob Joseph (Jack) Lander, a respected and beloved family practitioner in Winnipeg, and Clara (Shnay) Lander, a literary scholar and past President of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Board of Governors.
Naomi was a classically trained pianist and performed both formally and informally in many venues. She was always asked to play at any party where there was a piano. Her favorite classical piece was Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, which readers can listen to and enjoy here. Naomi was heavily influenced by the version played by the pianist Glenn Gould, which approximates how Naomi approached it. Naomi had a great appreciation for complexity in musical style and composition. Her piano repertoire extended from Bach and Brahms to Elton John and Billy Joel.
Naomi lived in Toronto from 1968-1988 and then moved back to Winnipeg in 1989 to help care for her father when he became ill. She worked in senior executive assistant roles from the 1970s through the early 1990s in insurance, government and the non-profit sectors before retiring at age 65. Her work ethic, perfectionism and sense of mission throughout her career made Naomi a beloved team member, who also fostered life-long friendships with her supervisors and even their families.
In addition to music, Naomi had many interests, including gourmet cooking, film, science fiction and fantasy, and politics. Naomi could engage anyone in any number of subjects and was particularly interested in health and medicine. Naomi will now go on to teach medical students through the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ body donation program.
Naomi is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Ahava Rosenthal and Michael Shore, of Boston, MA; M. Sara Rosenthal and Kenneth Ain of Lexington, Kentucky; her grandchildren, Kayla Shore and Jacob Shore; her step-grandchildren, Maxwell Ain and Jacob Ain; her sisters, Myra Lander of San Mateo, California, and Judith Lander of Toronto; nephews Kalan Vuksanovich and Stephen Israels and many extended family members from the Lander families, Shnay families, and Rothberg families.
The family wishes to thank Richard (Dick) and Joanne Rothberg; Naomi’s wonderful caregivers at The Key, homecare assistance in Winnipeg, including Brian Boxall and Althea King; the Simkin Centre; and Elena Episcope for helping to make Naomi’s final years so much more comfortable.
A remembrance of Naomi will be held on Thursday evening, February 20th at 7 pm at 202 Lamont Blvd in Winnipeg. Donations in Naomi’s memory may be made to CancerCareManitoba or to the organization of your choice.
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