Obituaries
FANNY MOCK (nee Gerb) 1915-2018
Peacefully, with dignity and grace, Fanny Mock, age 103, passed away at the Simkin Centre on Sunday, August 5, 2018.
Fanny was predeceased by her husband Edward, her parents Yankel and Cheenya Gorbacz, sisters Shirley Baron, Marsha Garfinkel, Clara Katz and brothers Saul and Max Gerb. Left to cherish her memories and celebrate her life are daughters Sally Levy (Clement), Elayne Mock, Dyan Lamirande, son Harv Mock (Donna), grandchildren Brad Bannon, Jeff Bannon (Brandie), Charmain Levy (Maurilio), Grayson Levy (Lisa) and nine great-grandchildren along with sister-in-law Anne Gerb, numerous nieces and nephews and countless friends upon whom she made a positive and lasting impact.
Born in the tiny Polish village of Mezericz in 1915, Fanny, at age 17, traveled alone across a wide ocean and vast new country to join other family members who preceded her to start a new and exciting chapter in her life in a bustling city called Winnipeg. Like innumerable immigrants before her Fanny embraced her new home with enthusiasm and vigor, enrolling in night classes to learn English while working during the day in the city’s garment trade.
Not long after arriving Fanny’s neighbors introduced her to a charismatic, handsome young man named Edward (Eddy) Mock to whom she became engaged and married, together forging a union that would last 53 years until his passing in 1987, and would produce four loving children, a warm, nurturing home built on a foundation of Yiddishkite, unconditional love, traditional values, and huge helpings of legendary cooking and baking.
Fanny had an indomitable spirit and commitment to giving and service. She was a founder of the Yiddish-speaking H. Levick B’nai Brith Lodge (now known as Jewish Women International) where she worked tirelessly for many worthwhile causes, most notably to gather and send clothes to needy orphans in Israel. For this, as well as her leadership and support, she was twice named B’nai Brith Woman of the Year.
The matriarch of our immediate and extended family, Fanny was the impetus for family celebrations, holiday dinners or any excuse to just get together to laugh, reminisce, share stories and, of course, overindulge in great food. Whether she was Ma, auntie, baba, Mrs. Mock or simply Fanny, she was a reliable source of compassion, wisdom, common sense and a spontaneous, infectious sense of humor. She was quick and genuine with a compliment, loved reading, looked forward to “her shows”, aka afternoon soap operas, and became a late-in-life country music fan, embracing the Grand Ole Opry in her mid-80’s.
Our mother was fortunate to enjoy good health virtually all her life. In fact, when she fell and broke a hip at age 99, doctors did not hesitate to conduct surgery, confident in her successful recovery. And they were right! After her hospital stay Fanny returned home to her own apartment, where she lived until just this past January when, at her own suggestion, she moved to the Simkin Centre where she soon became a favorite of staff and fellow residents alike who relished her quick wit, views on current affairs and her outgoing personality. Our family would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the entire staff at the Simkin Centre who treated our mother with care, compassion and respect during her brief residence there.
Fanny was an extraordinary woman. She possessed true strength of character, lived her life with ethics, dignity and purpose and, cliché as it may sound, truly made a difference in many, many lives.
Funeral services were conducted on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at Congregation Etz Chayim by Cantor Tracy Kasner Greaves with eulogies by son Harv Mock and grandson Jeff Bannon. Interment was at B’nay Abraham Cemetery. Pallbearers were Jack Solomon, Al Katz, Shane Solomon, Brad Bannon, Jeff Bannon and Michael Ritter.
Ma, as you rejoin Dad, Max, Saul, Shirley, Clara, Marsha and Baba and Zaida, rest peacefully knowing that we love you, and your heart and spirit will always be a part of us.
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.
Obituaries
SIDNEY RITTER
August 30, 1936 – June 20, 2025
Surrounded by his loved ones, Sidney left this world peacefully on Friday, June 20, 2025.
He is survived by his children Michael (Flynn Gerb), Beth Goldberg (Bobby), Alan and Andrea, and his sister-in-law Elsa Swedko (the late Norman). His memory will live on in his grandchildren, Zachary Goldberg (Karlene), Jessica Goldberg (Rhys Sharkey) and Stefanie Steigerwald (Alex), Halley Ritter, Brianna and Madeline Ritter, Francie and Sari Goldenberg, and great-grandchildren Brooks Goldberg and Ava Steigerwald.
Sidney was born and grew up in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, where he forged many lifelong friendships. He moved to Winnipeg following his marriage to the love of his life, Hinda, of blessed memory. Together, they built a beautiful home for their family, filled with love and caring for their community. Sidney’s commitment to making his world a better place is evident in his extensive volunteer work with the Chai Folk Ensemble, his synagogue, Folklorama and the Folk Arts Council, and his exemplary 62 years of perfect attendance at the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
Funeral services were held on June 23, 2025, at the Rosh Pina Memorial Park. Contributions in Sidney’s memory may be made to The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, or to a charity of your choice.