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
Obituaries
Recent funerals – as posted on the Chesed Shel Emes website
| David Harold Diamond | David ben Avraham Yehoshua haLevi | 08/04/1929 | 09/06/2026 | 24 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Sidney Green | Simcha ben Aharon v’Rosa | 01/08/1929 | 07/06/2026 | 22 Sivan 5786 | Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery | More Info |
| Cecile Kowall | Tzivia bat Shlomo David v’ Sluva Mata | 24/05/1935 | 03/06/2026 | 18 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Joan Hargrave | Chana Henya bat Binyamin Mayer haLevi v’ Miriam Dina | 14/07/1953 | 01/06/2026 | 16 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Irwin Barry Stronger | Yitzchak Dov ben Matityahu v’Baila | 16/09/1941 | 31/05/2026 | 15 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| David Ivan Cohen | David Yitzchak ben Yaakov Moshe v’Sara Liba | 06/06/1956 | 30/05/2026 | 14 Sivan 5786 | Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery | More Info |
| Phyllis Maxine Hochman | Tziporah bat Shmuel v’Esther | 31/12/1940 | 30/05/2026 | 14 Sivan 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Alvin Murray Zivot | Avraham Moshe ben Yaakov v’Leah Miriam | 03/08/1931 | 27/05/2026 | 11 Sivan 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Tova Vickar | Tova bat Nachum v’Yenta | 24/08/1949 | 22/05/2026 | 6 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Karen Leipsic | Chaya Tova bat Kalman v’Raizel | 03/04/1944 | 21/05/2026 | 5 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Phyllis Lee Dana | Fayge-Leah bat Moshe BenZion v’Chaya | 05/10/1936 | 17/05/2026 | 1 Sivan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Betty Brina Simon | Bayla bat Yitzchak v’Miriam | 27/07/1935 | 15/05/2026 | 28 Iyar 5786 | Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery | More Info |
| Basia Bayla Fliegel | Bayla bat Leib | 31/05/1930 | 13/05/2026 | 26 Iyar 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Harold Diamond | Tzvi ben Yaacov v’Chana | 04/12/1935 | 12/05/2026 | 25 Iyar 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Gary Rayburn | Gershon Aaron ben Hersh Ber v’Masha | 21/09/1965 | 09/05/2026 | 22 Iyar 5786 | Bnay Abraham Cemetery | More Info |
| Ray Schnoor | Raizel bat Ephraim v’Rachel | 13/06/1927 | 05/05/2026 | 19 Iyar 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Gila Ruth Fainstein | Rachel bat Kiva v’Leah | 25/06/1935 | 04/05/2026 | 14 Iyar 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Toby Schwartz | Chaya Tovah bat Moshe v’Chana | 16/07/1932 | 01/05/2026 | 14 Iyar 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Rachel Wolman | Rachel Bayla bat Moshe v’Malka | 03/02/1962 | 24/04/2026 | 7 Iyar 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Leah Gitlin | Laya bat Yosef v’Frayda | 04/09/1926 | 08/04/2026 | 21 Nisan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Lin Joseph Rosenbaum | Yosef Levi ben Hershel Zvi v’Dvorah | 17/10/1952 | 06/04/2026 | 19 Nisan 5786 | Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery | More Info |
| Norman Stein | Nachum ben Avraham v’Chaya | 10/06/1932 | 06/04/2026 | 19 Nisan 5786 | Bnay Abraham Cemetery | More Info |
| Marvin Saul Silver | Menachem Shaul ben Avraham v’Chana Gitel | 20/11/1941 | 05/04/2026 | 18 Nisan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
| Kimberley Dawn Kirshenbaum | Isabella bat Avraham v’Sarah | 09/12/1969 | 03/04/2026 | 17 Nisan 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Walter Ganetsky | Zev ben Yosef haLevi v’Tziporah | 23/09/1940 | 02/04/2026 | 15 Nisan 5786 | Bnay Abraham Cemetery | More Info |
| Lorelei Camille Lavitt | Rachel bat Yaakov v’Raisa | 11/04/1936 | 26/03/2026 | 8 Nisan 5786 | Rosh Pina Memorial Park | More Info |
| Melvin Myers | Moshe ben Chaim v’Rachel | 24/04/1936 | 24/03/2026 | 7 Nisan 5786 | Shaarey Zedek Cemetery | More Info |
To see more funerals go to https://chesedshelemes.org/records-of-the-deceased/
Obituaries
DAVEY (DAVE) CHOCHINOV
With his family by his side, Dave passed away, peacefully at home, on February 13, 2026, at the age of 92. Dave was predeceased by his wife, Eleanor, father Alex and mother Rose; brothers Jack, Ben, Moishe and Harvey; sisters-in-law Mary Chochinov, Loretta Chochinov, Sherry Chochinov, Marion Golfman, and Belva Shaff, and brother-in-law Ralph Shaff.
He is survived and will be lovingly remembered by his children, Paul (Cathy Carey), Linda (Allan Sand), Sheldon, and Andrea; his adored grandchildren, Alex, Jeffrey, Matthew, Celene (Scott Campbell), Abbey, Claire, Eli (Pam Pilon) and Josh; great-grandchildren, Kate, Jacob, Holden and Hayes; brother-in-law Archie Cham, sister-in-law Shelley Chochinov; and many nieces, nephews and extended family members.
Dave was born on January 15, 1934, the youngest of five sons. He attended Machray School, St. John’s High School and the University of Manitoba, where he graduated from the faculty of Pharmacy. On October 11, 1955, he married his high school sweetheart, Eleanor, and remained married for the next 48 years until Eleanor’s passing on October 17, 2003.
After graduating from the University of Manitoba, Dave opened a pharmacy located in the River Heights area. After several years operating his pharmacy he arrived at the conclusion that he was not happy practising as a pharmacist and a career change was required. In the mid 1960’s, with a spouse, three young children at home and one on the way, he continued working as a pharmacist, then spent a couple of years selling life insurance before deciding to pursue a path in accounting. In 1973, he completed his course of studies in accounting and obtained his designation as a Certified General Accountant. In late 1975, he opened his own accounting practice, located at 1850 Main St. His professional accounting career also included terms as President of the CGA association of Manitoba and Canada. He continued active participation in the accounting firm until 2003.
During his retirement Dave spent his days scanning photos in the family albums and sending them to his children so that they would have a rich legacy of memories to keep and pass on to their own families. When he could not drive for a time, his grandson Alex would be available to take him wherever he needed to go. They spent much time discussing the human condition, vocabulary, music, cuisine preferences, and the good old days. A tough man from a tough generation, family was everything to him. Dave had an extremely close relationship with his four older brothers, and we believe he would say that his fondest memories were the times spent at family gatherings. Whenever there was a big get-together or a Chochinov reunion, he would always remark, “It was great … the family was together.”
He was also a great sounding board for anyone who needed advice and gave quality and insightful input. He was fiercely passionate about family. In his later years he started to compile an all-encompassing family tree and in doing so he discovered long lost relatives still in the old country and ended up opening a line of communication with them. He loved technology as well and started using computers as soon as the first ones were available. He had a unique sense of humor and sent group e-mails of cartoons and jokes to friends and family daily that added joy to the lives of those privileged to be on the email list. It was also his way of staying in touch and letting people know he was thinking of them.
Funeral services were held on February 16 at the Shaarey Zedek cemetery. Pallbearers were Paul Chochinov, Shel Chochinov, Alex Chochinov, Jeff Chochinov, Yale Chochinov, Jordan Chochinov, Tyler Chochinov and Matthew Strachan.
Obituaries
PHYLLIS HOCHMAN
With great sadness we announce that beloved wife, mom, and Baba, Phyllis (Zelickson) Hochman passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Winnipeg.
Left to cherish her memory are her daughter Paula (Warren Zimmerman) and her one and only granddaughter, Abby, her greatest joy, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.
Phyllis was born in Winnipeg in 1940 to Walter and Esther Zelickson. She was pre-deceased by her parents, her sister, Sylvia Oberman, and her beloved husband of 53 years, Benny Hochman.
Phyllis grew up on Burrows Avenue with close friends and family. She worked at Leon A. Brown Ltd., an insurance company. Family was at the center of her world. Phyllis devoted her life to caring for those she loved, always making sure everyone was taken care of. Whether it was offering a helping hand, a listening ear, or words of encouragement, she was always there when needed.
Phyllis was known for her beautiful smile, warm heart, and joyful laughter. Her presence brought comfort, happiness, and strength to those around her.
As a mother, she was simply the best, loving and endlessly supportive. As a Baba, she filled Abby’s life with affection, guidance, and countless special memories that will be treasured forever. As a mother in law, Warren was like a son to her and they had a beautiful relationship.
Phylls was 19 when she met the love of her life, Benny Hochman. They were married in 1970 and together they created a beautiful family. They showed their daughter, Paula, true love, commitment, and partnership. Their greatest joy was being together and creating memories with family and friends.
Phyllis will be deeply missed, forever loved, and always remembered.
The funeral was held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at Chesed Shel Emes with burial at Rosh Pina Memorial Park, presided by Rabbi Kliel Rose. Pallbearers were Warren Zimmerman, Dr. Wayne Manishen, Michael Hochman, Larry Hochman, Sherman Greenfeld, and Michael Charach. If desired, contributions can be made to the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, The Simkin Centre, or a charity of your choice.

