Obituaries
CHERYL ANNE (LAVITT) LAZAR November 2, 1965 – June 30, 2020
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Cheryl Anne Lazar, loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt, passed away on June 30, 2020 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
When she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2008, Cheryl was told that she had two years left. Always a fighter, she managed to add an extra decade to her life, living a relatively full life until her last month.
Cheryl was born in Winnipeg on November 2, 1965 to Adam and Judy (Schaffer) Lavitt, the second of four daughters. Cheryl grew up in the Garden City area of Winnipeg, and attended school at Talmud Torah, Forest Park School, Jefferson Junior High School, and Garden City Collegiate.
After graduating high school, Cheryl entered the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Manitoba, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. After graduation she entered the work force as an auditor, spending most of her career with Arctic Cooperatives Ltd.. As an auditor with ACL, she got to travel to many far north communities, which appealed to her adventurous spirit. She came to know and appreciate the people and culture of the Inuit of the far north.
Cheryl had a free-spirited, outgoing personality, and made friends easily. While accompanying some friends to a party in 1988, she introduced herself to the party host, Michael Lazar. After “running in to” each other several times over the next few months, they began to date. On April 1, 1990, while seated on “The Climbing Tree” in Kildonan Park, Michael proposed to Cheryl, and they were married on August 4, 1991. In keeping with Cheryl’s thirst for adventure, Cheryl and Michael honeymooned by backpacking their way through France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Israel.
Family and friends were very important to Cheryl. She was a dedicated soccer mom (and hockey mom, basketball mom, and baseball mom) to her three children. She was a cheerleader for their exploits in the arts and theatre, and always ready to help “encourage” them to finish their homework. She nourished and relished in long-term friendships from her days in Garden City, with her “Commerce Girls”, her friends from the Atah young Jewish adults group, from the neighborhood on Embassy Lane and later on Driscoll Crescent, from Congregation Etz Chayim, and many other friends that she made along the way. She was always there to celebrate good times, and to comfort in hard times.
Cheryl was pre-deceased by her father, Adam Lavitt, her grandparents, Liselotte and Abraham Schaffer and Harry and Eda Lavitt, and her in-laws, Rhona and Ronald Lazar. She is survived by her husband, Michael Lazar, her three sons, Elliot, Gabriel and Levi Lazar, her sisters Helen Lavitt-Smith (Carey), Debby Lavitt, and Susan Boyd (Ryan), her nephews and nieces Shannon (Jeff), Jeremy, Benji, Breanne, Brooke, Rory, Ezra (Sonia), Yona, Galya, Gilon, Casey, Solly, Aaron, Rachel and Jack, and great-nephews Max and Noah.
Cheryl’s funeral was held at the Rosh Pina Memorial Park, officiated by Rabbi Kliel Rose and Cantor Tracy Kasner. Pallbearers were Bert Schaffer, Allan Schaffer, Ron Worb, Gary Lazar, Matthew Lazar, and Joel Kay.
Cheryl’s family would like to thank her oncologist, Dr. Valerie Gordon, and the doctors and nurses at the Health Science Centre. They would also like to thank the many family members and friends who have lent their support both during Cheryl’s illness and following her passing.
Obituaries
HARRY KREEL April 9, 1927 – October 20, 2025
It is with profound sadness that the family of Harry Kreel announces his passing on October 20, 2025 at the age of 98 years. He was predeceased by his parents, Ben and Rebecca Kreel; his brothers, Isadore and Boris Kreel; and his beloved wife Myrna, to whom he was married for 68 years.
Left to mourn his passing are his daughter Eileen; his son Darrell (Nicole); and his grandson Benjamin Kreel.
Harry was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan and moved to Winnipeg in his early 20s. He spent his career in education. He was the Director of Special Education for the Winnipeg School Division, Principal of R.B. Russell Vocational School and he also taught in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.
Our parents loved to travel, and throughout their lives they travelled extensively throughout Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Upon his retirement, he and our mother were able to spend many wonderful winters in Palm Springs, as well as many visits to New York to visit family. The highlight for them was their trip to Israel, which was something they had always wanted to do, and they did.
Funeral Services were held on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, graveside at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. We would like to express our sincerest thanks to Rabbi Carney Rose for officiating and for delivering a most beautiful and heartfelt service.
To the pallbearers, you know who you are, and we would like to thank you for being there for our father. We would also, at this time, like to thank the wonderful staff of Weinberg I at the Simkin Centre. You treated our father with the utmost kindness, respect, dignity and compassion, and for that we will be forever grateful. And last but certainly not least, to Sheryl, Tia, and Victoria Levine, to Leslie Stokoloff and Joe Lacey, we will be forever grateful for all your love and support during this most difficult time.
Should anyone so desire, donations may be made in our father’s memory to the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre or CancerCare Manitoba.
Obituaries
ROSALYN GOLFMAN (née LINHART)
Rosalyn Golfman (née Linhart) passed away peacefully on November 9, 2025, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer.
Born and raised in Winnipeg to Jack and Clara Linhart, Roz and her brother Sam grew up with a deep appreciation for education, music, and community. Her father, along with her mother who was an accomplished singer and performer in Jewish plays and on radio, instilled in her a deep appreciation for both hard work and family traditions. The tragedy of the Holocaust, which claimed the majority of her mother’s immediate family, profoundly shaped Rosalyn’s outlook on life, nurturing in her a strong sense of identity, resilience, and commitment to her Jewish heritage.
Growing up in a home filled with music, the aromas of traditional cooking, and the warmth of family celebrations, Roz developed a lifelong connection to her roots. Her devotion to the Jewish community continued throughout her life as she volunteered and chaired various programs at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and served as a member of the National Council of Jewish Women.
Education was one of Rosalyn’s greatest passions. She earned her B.A., M.Ed., a Ph.D. in Psychology, and a Masters in Family Therapy. As a clinical psychologist, Roz worked for 43 years dedicating her career to helping others. Rosalyn also served as President of the Manitoba Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and Chair of its Ethics Committee and taught at various times at the Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg, and at Red River Community College.
Rosalyn’s greatest devotion was to her husband of more than 60 years, Charles (Chuck) Golfman. Together they traveled the globe and shared a lifetime of love and adventure. Their mutual curiosity led them to explore new places, lectures and forums, always seeking to expand their understanding of people and the world around them. Roz and Chuck raised three children – Jeff (Helen Huang), Lisa (Steve Kroft) and Jill (Mark Kantor). Her grandchildren – Angela, Nathan, Alex and Maya – were her greatest joy, and she cherished every moment spent with them, whether during family dinners, at her beloved Clearwater Bay, or on family trips. Rosalyn’s brother Sam (Judy) was a constant source of support, and the times Roz and Chuck spent with Sam and Judy in Phoenix and Aspen were always highlights for her. Family events with nieces, nephews, her numerous cousins and other relatives were also very special for Roz.
Rosalyn will be remembered for her compassion, intellect and unwavering devotion to family, her friends, and her Jewish faith. The values she instilled in her family will endure through them.
The family wishes to thank the many friends who supported Roz with gentleness, dignity and love. Thank you also to Dr. Marshall Pitz, Kim Paradoski and the caring and talented doctors and caregivers at CancerCare Manitoba and Grace Hospital who assisted Rosalyn and our family during this difficult journey.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rosalyn and Chuck Golfman Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, or to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.
Obituaries
MARK BERNARD SCHACTER
May 12, 1946 – October 19, 2025
We are sad to announce that Mark Schacter died peacefully in Vancouver on October 19, 2025, at age 79.
He was born in Winnipeg on May 12, 1946, and moved to Vancouver at the age of 22 to seek his fortune, and lived and worked there for the rest of his life, in a number of careers. He was a raconteur, a free spirit, a sports fan, a close observer of current events, and a good friend to many, as far away as Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles. He attended the Canada-Russia hockey series in Moscow in 1972, flew on the Concorde to London, and went to Rio for Carnival on a number of occasions.
He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Brent Schacter and Sora Ludwig, nieces Miriam Stoller (Michael), Isanne Schacter, and Jennifer Schacter (Neil Rockman), grandnieces Reina and Maddie Stoller, Beatrice Schacter, and Sally Rockman, and grandnephew Jacob Rockman.
He was laid to rest in the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery near his parents on October 22, 2025. May his memory be a blessing.
Donations in his memory may be made to Yaletown House (www.yaletown.org) where he resided or to the charity of your choice.