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Obituaries

HOWIE BLATT

It is with heavy hearts we announce the peaceful passing of Howie Blatt, with his loving family at his side, on October 10, 2024, at St. Boniface Hospital, after a very brief lymphoma cancer.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Cathy Dearden, his sons, David (Seri) Blatt and Josh (Karlee Rosenberg) Blatt, and granddaughters, Hannah and Maya Blatt.

He is remembered with love by his brother, Arnie (Sura-Fraida) Blatt in Minnetonka. He is also remembered by brother-in-law Craig Dearden (Cathy Boase) in Fairmont Hot Springs. Several nieces and nephews have fond memories of dear “Uncle Howie”. He was predeceased by his parents, Philip and Anne Blatt; his sister, Sandy Goldstein; his first wife, Faye Blatt; in-laws, Ted and Estelle Saunders, and Ed and Lois Dearden.

Howie was born February 25, 1944 and grew up in the north end of Winnipeg. He spent summers at Winnipeg Beach, and enjoyed tennis, fishing and boating. As a teenager, he started going fishing at Lake of the Woods, where his father was born and raised. Shortly after getting his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Winnipeg, he married his first wife, Faye Saunders. In 1969, they welcomed their son, David, and one month later, Faye passed away.

Howie was an exceptional father, raising David on his own. They went to Jets games, the lake, and whether they stayed in a tent, a trailer, a cabin, or eventually on their sailboat, OVERDRAFT, they had a wonderful, fun-filled time.

In 1981 he married Cathy Dearden, and in 1984, their son, Josh, was born. The family of four continued their busy life with the boys playing hockey and golf, going to Jets games, summers at Fantasy Island, travel, ski trips, and so on.

Howie had a successful career at Great-West Life as a life insurance and investment advisor. He and his family attended numerous sales conventions. He made it a priority to balance his professional life with quality family time.

He dabbled in a few restaurants and was always a “foodie”. He loved helping his friends find the best places to eat their favourite foods. He was always available to lend a helping hand or offer advice on various topics. His friends and their kids loved him.

He played squash and was a member of the Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club for many years, serving as president in 1995-1996.

Family was EVERYTHING to Howie. He always had time for family dinners, sharing recipes, TRADITIONS, and celebrating all special holidays. Extended family gatherings with “Mishpacha” were very important to him.

Howie was so proud of his sons. He was thrilled when David married Seri, and he soon became a grandfather to Hannah and Maya. He loved spending time with “his girls”, especially at the lake.

He had a wonderful time introducing Karlee to lake life traditions when she came into Josh’s life. And he knew which wedding dress she picked!

Two places dear to his heart were Fantasy Island at Lake of the Woods and Windstar in Naples, Florida. Barbecues, boating and fishing in the summer; cycling, pickleball, boating and eating oysters and key lime pie in the winter.

Howie has left a huge hole in our hearts, but he has left us with so many good memories and “Howie-isms”, such as “The faintest ink is better than the best memory”, “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda”, “Health, Happiness, and Cashflow” and many more. He taught us to laugh, to do what is right, and always stay positive. He had a heart of gold.

The family acknowledges the professional team at St. Boniface Hospital, 4th floor and the ICU, and especially the hematology team.

Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Grant Goldberg, Dr. Richard Blouw, and the entire team at Access Fort Garry for their compassionate and professional care over many years.

Howie’s funeral was held October 15 and can be viewed on the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue website, www.szwinnipeg.ca

Donations may be made in Howie’s memory to the Canadian Cancer Society, www.cancer.ca, designating your donation to non-Hodgkin lymphoma research, or should you prefer, the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation, www.lwdhf.com

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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.

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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.

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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.

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