Obituaries
BERNICE LEVINE-RISSIN
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Bernice Levine-Rissin on June 17, 2021, at the age of 86. She is survived by her children, Allan Levine (Angie), Brian Levine (Susan), Shayla Morrison (Jeff) and Joel Levine (Stephen Hinds);
grandchildren Jason Levine (April), Shawn Levine (Heather Doi), Justin Levine (Hayley), Alexander Levine (Shannon), Mia Shaffer (Geoff), Megan Morrison (Aaron Clarfield) and Brooke Morrison; great-grandchildren, Benjamin, Rachel, Piper, Hurin, Josephine, Meyer, Liliana, McCartney, Kole, Erica and Emmy; her brother Mel Kliman (Wendy Wright) and her sister Sharon Earn (Brian) She will also be missed by her many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her husbands, Marvin Levine and Joe Rissin, parents, Sam and Sarah Kliman, sister Freda Morry and her husband Manuel Morry.
Bernice was born on January 10, 1935 in Holland, Manitoba where her parents ran a general store. She and her siblings worked in the store and participated in all of the community’s events. On the High Holidays, the family would journey to Brandon, Portage la Prairie, or Winnipeg for prayer services. Passover also entailed extended visits of relatives from other towns for large seder gatherings. Summers and other holidays were the same. She remembered her house in Holland often being filled with aunts, uncles, and cousins, sleeping anywhere there was room. She had many fond memories of skating, curling, and going to hockey and baseball games with her school friends.
She married Marvin in 1954 and they had thirty-nine happy years together raising four children, participating in Jewish community events, summering at their mobile home in Gimli and in later years spending winters in Palm Springs. After Marvin passed away in 1993, she married Joe in 1996 and they, too, enjoyed their families and friends and traveled together until Joe passed away in 2013.
Bernice was a kind and generous person. She was a devoted mother and a great cook, especially during the holidays. Whatever the occasion, the Mixmaster always came out and she got down to work. Later when three of her children left Winnipeg, she never failed to bring an extra suitcase of cookies, cakes and other goodies when she traveled to visit them and their families.
She was the happiest when she was surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She led an active life filled with friends, fun and laughter. She enjoyed bowling, playing Mahjong and bridge, and long walks especially in Gimli and Palm Springs. She was active in ORT, the Rosh Pina sisterhood, and involved in the synagogue’s activities. For many years, she worked in the offices of the Rosh Pina Synagogue and then the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.
The past five years or so were very difficult for her and she faced a myriad of health problems. She was strong and courageous and learned how to use a prosthetic after she lost a leg. Early in 2020, she relocated to the Saul & Claribel Simkin Centre Personal Care Home. Our family would like to thank everyone at the Simkin, especially the staff on Weinberg 3, for providing excellent care of her particularly over the past year during the pandemic. Though we could not see her all of the time, we were never concerned that she was not receiving the best of care. We will all miss her a lot and cherish our memories of her.
Funeral service and burial took place at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery on June 20, 2021, officiated by Rabbi Anibal Mass. Pallbearers were: Allan Levine, Alexander Levine, Jeff Morrison, Geoff Shaffer, Yale Shaffer and Evan Cantor.
Donations in Bernice’s memory may be made to the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre or a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
JACOB (JACK) KLEIMAN FEBRUARY 8, 1927 – AUGUST 19, 2024

It was with great sorrow that we announced the passing of Jacob (Jack) Kleiman (Jacob ben Moishe) on Monday August 19, 2024 (16, Av) in his 98th year.
He was predeceased by his parents, Maurice and Rose Kleiman, his brother, Harvey, and his sisters, Florence (the late Louis Selby), Betty (the late Joseph Gilfix) and Ruth (the late Ben Aisenstat). He is survived by his sister Ann of Bethesda, U.S.A. (the late Harold Eist). He will be missed by his many nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grand-nieces, great-grandnephews, and great-grandnieces.
Jack’s maternal grandparents were among the pioneer families established in the then Hirsch Colony (founded 1892) by the Jewish Colonization Association in the Southeast corner of Saskatchewan. Jack and his late brother Harvey lived and farmed on the same land purchased by their parents in the area.
In later years he and his brother developed many business interests: initially farm implement and automotive sales and later oil exploration companies including Poplar Developments Ltd., drilling locally. They were well known in the surrounding community and were generous supporters of local charitable initiatives such as the Estevan General Hospital.
Jack and his brother were the last Jewish farmers in the Hirsch area and over the years were the subject of many literary articles and television interviews. Jack and his brother helped to maintain the Jewish cemetery in the Hirsch area until it was taken over as a historical site by the province. Due to advancing age, the family farm was sold in 2016 and both retired to Calgary to be nearer to family. This marked the closing of one chapter of Jewish history in Canada.
Jack was a talented mechanic who remained married to the land and devoted to his family. He was ever of good spirit. Although frail in body, Jack remained active mentally and involved in life until the end being always interested in the happenings of his extended family.
It is hard to adequately sum up a long life marked by both hard work, dedication to family, and good humour. The entire family remember him and honour him with love, affection, and good memories.
The family wishes to thank the many friends and neighbours in the Estevan area who provided help and support during his last years and especially to his dedicated care givers in Calgary.
The funeral was held in Calgary on August 22, 2024, at the Chevra Kadisha Chapel with interment at the 37th Street Jewish Cemetery.
The unveiling will take place on July 27, 2025 at 11:30 AM at the same location. Donations may be made in Jack’s memory to the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
EDITH LANDY

June 30, 1920 – July 2, 2025
After a long and fulfilling life, our Mother passed on July 2, 2025. Born in Winnipeg, she grew up as part of a large extended family.
Mother was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Mayer Freiden and Rivka (nee Fordman), our father, David Landy, and her sisters Syma Katz and Jennie Rich. Edith is survived by her five children and their families: Laurie Landy and Nora Spinks, Barbara and Paul Livingston, Bob and Rhonda Landy, Mark Landy and Jenifer, and Martin Landy, her grandchildren Saralyn, Adam, Alex, Joshua, Ethan, Caitlin, David, Alicia, Lily, and six great-grandchildren, her cousins Norma Chernick and Shlomo Mayman and her many friends and relatives.
Mom grew up as part of a large extended family in the North End of Winnipeg, guided by her father’s values of service, community and the importance of family. She entered the School of Nursing at the Winnipeg General Hospital, now the Health Sciences Centre. She progressed from general duty nurse to nursing supervisor and served as the Assistant Director of Nursing for 15 years until her retirement in 1983. Over the course of her five-decade nursing career, she raised five children, managed a household, cared for many extended family members and remained actively involved in the community.
Community was a foundation of Mom’s life. Mom was very proud of her volunteering at the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival, Winnipeg Folk Fest and other community events. She and David were patrons of the arts, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Manitoba Opera. In 2024, she was recognized as the longest continuous subscriber to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
The North Centennial Seniors Association played an important role in our parents’ later years. She ran her kitchen crew, supervised Hot Dog Day and provided food for many bus trips. Mom’s legacy was the Grandma Grandpa Swim Club, which she established, raised funds for, and built into a strong organization.
After a long and remarkable life of service and giving care, Mom accepted the need to receive care. The Family would like to thank Melita and Nelissa for their care and dedication, as well as the staff of the Simkin Centre, especially on Weinberg 2.
We cannot put into words how much she will be missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Joseph Freiden Scholarship for Jewish Studies at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
A service was held July 4, 2025, at Chesed Shel Emes – Winnipeg.
Obituaries
SUSAN DIANA FRANKEL

In the kitchen above her to-do list, Susan Diana Frankel kept a comic strip of a mother bird encouraging her baby to take its first leap into flight. “Go for it!” reads the speech bubble above the mother bird. But a second bubble shows her thinking silently to herself: Just don’t go too far.
I’ve always thought that image perfectly captured our mom. She was our biggest cheerleader and greatest supporter – and out of sheer love, she wanted to spend as much time with her family as possible: Matthew and Elly, Robby and Rae, Jed and Eugenia, and our devoted dad, Harvey, her partner of 45 years. In addition to being a loving mother and spouse, she was a perfect grandmother – or “Boba” – to her three granddaughters: Romi, Esti, and Aria, whom she loved obsessively. Our mom passed away at home on June 4. She was our best friend, and to say we are devastated or that we will miss her greatly feels wholly inadequate.
Predeceased by her parents Max and Esther Weinstein and her older brother Joel (Cathie), she will forever be loved and remembered by her brothers Sidney (Grace) and Barry (Sharon), her sister Ronni (Michael), her confidante Edie (Marcel), as well as dozens of nieces, nephews, cousins, and very close friends.
Susan was born the youngest of five children on February 8, 1958, in Winnipeg. The Weinstein family lived in Melville, Saskatchewan, until 1963 before settling in Winnipeg for good. She spent summers in Gimli and at BB Camp, attended both Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and the University of Winnipeg Collegiate, and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manitoba (as well as spending a semester at the University of Miami while visiting her parents at their winter condo in Florida – Go Hurricanes!).
My mom married our dad, Harvey, in 1981. They were a shining example of a loving partnership – completely devoted to each other in sickness and in health. They raised us three boys to be close and family-oriented. It feels strange to reduce some of my mom’s favourite places and memories to a list, but that list would include: the family cottage in Gimli, traveling to Palm Springs, Florida, Toronto, Hawaii, Italy, and Las Vegas, shopping and dining with friends and family, playing Mahj, chatting about movies and shows, dragging my dad to social outings and making him change his outfit before they left the house, watching Winnipeg Jets games, and constantly rewatching videos of her granddaughters.
Our mom had a way of making people she’d just met feel like part of her inner circle. She was genuinely interested in what you were doing, how it was going, and how she could help. She asked questions (sometimes a few too many!) because she cared – never because she was nosy. She had a wonderful sense of humour and truly loved to laugh. When something was really funny, you’d sometimes get a snort and even a tear or two. She was simply the best.
Our family would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support we’ve received during this extremely difficult time. A special thank-you to the healthcare workers who gave our mom such a remarkable quality of life despite living with stage 4 cancer for more than seven years: Dr. Marshall Pitz, all the nurses and staff at CancerCare, her homecare worker Lisa, and our family’s incredible friend and caregiver, Gemma Marciano.