Obituaries
HENNY PARITZKY (nee WOLF)
Unexpectedly, our mother, Henny Paritzky, passed away on August 25, 2021, at the age of 94. She was predeceased by her devoted husband Abraham and her sister Branka and is survived by her three children, Ron (Esther), Gilead, and Rachel (Blair), and her seven grandchildren.
Born in Poland in 1927, Henny and her family moved to Holland several years later for a better life. Little did she know that her happy childhood with her younger sister Branka would end with the war, the invasion of Holland, the imposition of restrictions, and eventually the deportation of the Jewish population to concentration camps.
Henny, Branka, and their loving parents survived the war through the kindness of strangers, incredible luck and quick-wittedness, and her father’s planning. They never made it to Switzerland as planned, but were able to remain in France by masquerading as Protestants. Almost all of her relatives were not so lucky and perished.
The lessons of the war were not lost on our mother, who chose to focus on the acts of those who helped her family survive. This is what informed her post-war life. She learned how to smile again and almost every picture of her includes her beautiful smile.
Several years after the war, Henny went to study at Hebrew University in the newly established state of Israel. There she met the love of her life, Abraham, a university student (and dashing reservist). They married in 1951 and after several years in Israel, where their son Ron was born, Henny and Abraham moved to Winnipeg where both were beloved Hebrew and Judaic studies educators and active members of the Jewish community. In Winnipeg, their family grew with the arrival of their son Gilead and daughter Rachel.
Henny had a long and very meaningful career in Jewish education as a teacher and then as a principal. Teaching was her passion and it showed. Her secret? A genuine interest in each and every student, many of whom remained in touch with her decades later.
Our mother had many other passions and interests in her life. She spoke six, or was it seven, languages fluently, and when she and her sister spoke, they flitted from language to language without stopping to take a breath, other than to puff on their cigarettes. After retirement, she even occasionally worked as an interpreter.
Henny was a voracious reader and typically had a half dozen on the go at a time. She was a facilitator for reading groups and told us she recently received a small honorarium from one such group and that being capable of receiving it in her 90s meant more than her salary as a principal.
She often spoke publicly about her experiences in the war including on panels and at various schools. She believed it was her obligation as a survivor to teach young people about the lessons to be learned from her experiences.
She had a marvellous, self-deprecating sense of humour. Last year as she was struggling with her walker, she started laughing out loud and said “Oh my, I’m walking like…walking like…an old woman”. She especially enjoyed laughing at the results of her cooking and, brilliant woman that she was, never even tried to bake after her first few mishaps. A loving mother, mother-in-law, Oma, and friend, she is forever in our hearts and will be deeply missed.
The family has been overwhelmed by the expressions of sympathy from friends and the community at large, many of which came from former students who treasured their memories of Henny as a very special teacher.
Donations in memory of Henny may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Obituaries
YHETTA MIRIAM GOLDCM, OM, BA
September 3, 1929 – April 25, 2025
Yhetta passed away at home on her own terms.
As per her wishes, there will be no service.
The family would like to thank Realcare Inc, particularly Kristina, Ana, Agrima and Chantal for their compassion and expertise.
For those that would like to make a donation in her memory, please consider a gift to the Yhetta Gold Campership Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3N 2B4, jewishfoundation.org, or to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
SALLY ANN NARR
Sally Ann Narr, born September 5, 1935, passed away peacefully on February 10, 2025, at the age of 89.
Sally was born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, and attended William Whyte school and later St. John’s Tech. At 18 years old, Sally bravely made the decision to leave her family and friends in Winnipeg, and head to Los Angeles, California where she hoped to pursue a career in Hollywood. After arriving in LA, Sally got a job working at Farmer’s Insurance, until she landed her dream job at Capitol Records at Hollywood and Vine.
Sally absolutely loved her job at Capitol Records and often found herself partying with some of the most famous celebrities.
At a New Year’s Eve party in 1958, Sally met the love of her life, Frank, and they were married the following year on December 12, 1959. Sally and Frank were married for 65 years and were overjoyed when they welcomed their daughter, Heather on October 1, 1965. It was in 1969, some years after the Watts Riot in LA that Sally and Frank made the decision to leave LA and return to Winnipeg to raise their daughter. Once back in Winnipeg, Sally and Frank resided in the West Kildonan area for 43 years until they bought a condo and moved to the south end of the city to be close to their daughter and grandchildren.
Sally lived a full and rich life. Some of her fondest memories were going on a Caribbean cruise for hers and Frank’s 50th wedding anniversary with her family, going to Hawaii for her 80th birthday, and attending her granddaughter’s wedding in 2019. Beyond all of this, Sally’s greatest joy in life was when her two grandchildren were born. She was overjoyed to become a grandmother and said it was the best job in the world.
It was shortly after the arrival of her first great-granddaughter in 2022 that Sally became a resident of the Simkin Centre, a place she would call home for almost three years until her passing. The staff treated her with the utmost care and respect and helped guide her family through her battle with Alzheimers and in the last few months of her life, cancer.
Sally’s quality of life would not have been what it was if it was not for her devoted caregiver, Oxana. From 2020 to 2025, Oxana provided wonderful care for Sally through her compassion and dedication and love for both Sally and Frank. There are not enough ways to thank Oxana for everything she did for Sally and her entire family over their five years together.
Sally was predeceased by her parents, Ann and Nicholas Dutkevich and is survived by her husband, Frank Narr, her daughter Heather Cantor (Ed), granddaughter, Lexi Cantor (Dan Robillard), her grandson Ryan Cantor, great-granddaughters, Parker and Blake and her brother Joey Dutkevich (Karen).
The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer Association or the Simkin Centre in honour of Sally.
Obituaries
DR. ROBERT CORNE
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Robert Corne on February 5, 2025.
Dr. Corne was married to Irene (née Genser), for 66 years; father of Lesley Corne Wolman, (spouse-Jeff Wolman), Janet Corne, (spouse-Michael Katz), Maureen Slama, (spouse-Avi Slama), and Eric Corne, (spouse-Aimee Corne).
Grandfather of Ariel Slama, Yale Wolman (spouse-Ashlie Sapiro), Serena Wolman, Liav Slama, Neeve Slama, Ira Corne and Lilly Corne.
Born in 1936 in Winnipeg, Robert was the only child Hy and Yhetta Corne. He attended both River Heights Elementary School and Kelvin High School. He entered University of Manitoba Medical School at the age of 18, winning the Ibsen scholarship. He married Irene Genser in 1958.
In 1960, Robert, Irene, and daughter Lesley, moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Robert was a Fellow in Internal Medicine (1960-63) and a Fellow in Cardiology (1963-64) at the Mayo Clinic. Robert’s research interest was in cardiac pathology and in 1964 he received a Master’s in Science from the University of Minnesota. In1964 the young family, now including daughters, Janet and Maureen, moved to San Francisco where Robert spent a year at the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco. Robert became a fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Canada, a Diplomat of American Board of Internal Medicine, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Cardiology.
The family returned to Winnipeg in 1965 and Robert joined his uncle, Dr. Norman Corne and Dr. Mossy Lehmann in private practice for three years. In 1968, he joined the Faculty of Medicine in the department of Cardiology at University of Manitoba. For several years he worked with Dr. Frank Matthewson in a natural history study of cardiac disease in Canadian Air Force pilots whom they followed for over 30 years. Robert also pursued a special interest in heart disease in women.
In 1977 Robert was appointed as The Lady Davis Professor of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the family, now including son, Eric, moved to Israel for the year. where Robert opened the department of Nuclear Cardiology at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. He was privileged to take part in the first heart scan in Israel and participated in a cardiac evaluation of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
The Corne family returned to Winnipeg in 1978, and Robert became the co-Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Director of Cardiac Ambulatory Care at Health Sciences Center. Teaching was an exciting and rewarding part of his academic life, and he became a full Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. His research has been published in both the American Heart Journal and The American Journal of Cardiology.
Robert’s volunteer commitments included a seat on the Board of the Winnipeg Chapter of Hebrew University and was instrumental in launching the Academic Affairs Initiative. He was the Governor of the Prairie Provinces of American College of Cardiology, a councilor of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and a Member of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association.
Despite his overwhelmingly numerous academic and professional achievements, he would say that his greatest accomplishment was his family: his four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and sixty-six-year marriage to his beloved wife, Irene. He was a loving and caring husband, an exceptionally devoted father and an interested and involved grandfather who shared a unique relationship with each of his children and grandchildren. He was a loyal friend to many and a trusted colleague to all who worked alongside him.
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