Obituaries
IRWINE (IKE) PERMUT
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Irwine (Ike) Permut on November 07, 2017 at the Concordia Hospital surrounded by his family and his special friend Anne Dudeck.
Ike’s funeral took place at the Etz Chayim Synagogue with interment at the Bnay Abraham Cemetery. Pall bearers were Ari Kapitany, Jeff Gilbert, Merrill Shulman, Mark Cohen, Mark Shuster, and Avery Spigelman.
Ike was born in 1925, the middle of three children to Hershel (Harry) and Sarah Permut. He was predeceased in 2009 by the love his of life for over 68 years – Ruth. He was also predeceased by his older brother Hymie and younger sister Bessie.
Left to cherish and honour Ike’s memory are his children Marsha, Harriet, and Arnold, and Arnold’s wife Susan. He is also survived by grandchildren Ari Kapitany, Jessy Kapitany and her husband Paul Gribbon, and Janie Gilbert and her husband Jeff. He is also survived by great grandchildren Hope and Andrew Gribbon, and Zoe and Sam Gilbert.
Ike grew up in Winnipeg’s North End where he not only received a formal education in the school system, but also received an education in “the school of hard knocks”.
At an early age he developed an interest in and significant skills related to things mechanical in nature particularly cars and trucks. This formed the basis for his subsequent career paths. During World War II he served in the Canadian Army as a staff sergeant both fixing trucks and teaching young soldiers how to properly drive trucks. In spite of his vision problems he also taught marksmanship. Clearly he needed to be and was a man of infinite patience.
Following the war years Ike worked as master mechanic at Stern Trucks, Winnipeg Electric which became Winnipeg Transit in later years, and Winnipeg Motors. He ultimately worked for many years in management positions at Princess Auto and at Mandak Metal Processors in Selkirk where his expertise and hard work helped build both into very successful companies.
Perhaps his greatest and respected contributions during his life were in the form of “paying it back” to the community of Winnipeg through many volunteer positions. He chaired the building committees for both the Bnay Abraham Synagogue and the associated housing co-op. He was also President of the Bnay Abraham Synagogue for two terms.
For many years Ike was a passionate volunteer member of the board of directors and President of the Jewish community funeral home the Chesed Shel Emes. He devoted many hours of his time in the support and betterment of this institution so important to the Jewish community in Winnipeg. He also served on the board of directors of the Gwen Secter Active Living Centre.
Following Ruth’s passing at the Misericordia Place Nursing Home, he served as a volunteer on the Ethics Committee for that nursing home. He also volunteered as a member of the public on the Discipline Committee of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.
At his core, Ike was a devoted family man. In recent years it was a joy to see the love he gave and received in return from his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He went to great lengths to spend time with them including taking the bus on the coldest days of winter to visit.
For those wishing to make donations in Ike’s memory, donations may be sent to:
The Bessie Permut Ruder Hospice and Palliative Care Fund (at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba) or
The Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Caners and the staff at the Concordia Hospital for their care and compassion during his final days.
Finally, if Ike were to have the last word which he frequently did, he might have left two important messages being: “the important things in life aren’t things” and “you can’t beat fun”!!
Obituaries
BARBARA CONSTANCE SLUTCHUK (née Stratton) MAY 9, 1941 – MARCH 3, 2026
Barbara Constance Slutchuk passed away peacefully. She was born on May 9, 1941, in Carmen, Manitoba to Lena Galbraith and Arthur Stratton.
Barbara was the beloved wife of George Slutchuk, whom she married on March 28, 1971. She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Rishona Hyman (Hartley Hyman) and Dama Slutchuk (Tom Aldridge), and by her cherished grandchildren, Gregory and Izzie Hyman. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.
Barbara was predeceased by her parents; her second mother, Lyla “Winnie” Stratton; her sisters Mary Beighton (Ted) and Patricia Morton (Robert); and her brothers Keith Stratton, Grant Stratton, John Stratton, Bryan Smith (Eleanor), Lyle Smith, and David (Gail).
Barbara was a trailblazer in nursing. Over her long and dedicated career she managed an emergency department at St. Boniface Hospital, later oversaw the operating room at Seven Oaks Hospital. Eventually moved into Human Resources at Misericordia Hospital.
She had a deep passion for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and attended many games, events, and Grey Cups over the years. Barbara was an avid reader and bridge player. A proud Canadian, she loved football, hockey, curling, figure skating, the theatre, Rainbow Stage, rural Manitoba, and tending to her flower garden. She loved seeing the first robin and geese of the season.
Barbara had a special love for animals, both her own and those belonging to others. She rescued animals and people alike, always making room in both her home and her heart.
Barbara was a natural leader, a volunteer, and an organizer. Above all, her most important role was as a devoted mother and grandmother.
The family is deeply grateful for the compassionate and loving care provided by
Veronica and Lenora, as well as all of Barbara’s caregivers over the years.
A funeral service was held on March 5, 2026, at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue.
Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice, Jewish Child and Family Service, or the Winnipeg Humane Society.
Obituaries
WILLIAM (BILL) MARANTZ SEPTEMBER 14, 1935 – NOVEMBER 15, 2025
Sadly, just after his 90th birthday, celebrated with four generations, Zaida Velvel passed away at Deer Lodge Centre following a brief illness.
He grew up in the storied North End mostly on Scotia Street, and it was there at Luxton School and St. John’s Tech that he made many of his lifelong friends.
But the shining star of his life was his beautiful Brenda, his loving wife and soulmate of over 65 years, who passed away in 2023. He was also pre-deceased by his parents Sophie and Frank, his brothers and sisters-in-law Cyril and Irene, Gary and Shirley-Anne, and his daughters-inlaw Andrea and Ruth.
He is survived by his children Josh, Ari (daughter-in-law Ilana), Allan (Jackie) and David; grandchildren Sarah (Chris), Noah (Nahla), Jesse (Lauren), Evan (Maddy), Dan (Tracy), Lauren (Kyle), Tamara (Robin), Ali (Wyatt), Neil; and great-grandchildren, Jack, Isaac, Sadie, Jack, Brandon and London; and nieces, nephews and cousins..
Bill graduated with his law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1960 and after articling, went into private practice.
Bill was a supportive and loving father who always came to watch the boys’ games and helped coach when needed. He and Brenda never tired of watching their sons play sports.
Bill’s eclectic career included time as a lawyer, part-time provincial court judge, movie critic, screenwriter, autobiographer, actor, Jewish Post columnist and novelist.
His most successful writing efforts were radio or screenplays, several of which were produced by CBC, and his self-published novel Christmas Eve Can Kill You.
After early retirement, he continued to write from home, the cottage and Palm Springs where he and Brenda drove to each winter for about 40 years.
Out of all his writing efforts, Bill was most proud of writing the memoir of a local Holocaust survivor.
He had another accomplishment for which he was also extremely proud. Just over three decades ago, Ari and Bill bought an old cottage at Winnipeg Beach and completely rebuilt it. This would become the new family summer home. He and Brenda lovedspending summers out at the beach with family.
For their 50th anniversary, it meant the world to them that all their sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren came in to celebrate at the cottage.
Winnipeg Beach was enjoyed for many, many summers until Brenda could no longer climb the front steps, shortly before becoming housebound. Bill took outstanding care of her as her health declined.
Bill was able to live independently and was driving until just a couple months before his passing. He loved spending time with family at dinners and Jewish holiday celebrations and adored his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren,especially.
He was buried next to his beloved Brenda at Beit Chayim Mikdash Shalom, the Temple Shalom cemetery, with son Allan officiating and grandchildren Noah, Jesse, Evan, Dan, Tamara and Neil serving as pallbearers.
If so desired, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to Camp Massad of Manitoba.
Obituaries
AGNES FUNK (nee POLLAK) August 12, 1927 – February 18, 2026
Agnes (Anyu) peacefully passed away at the age of 98. Predeceased by her husband Fred and son George, she is survived by her daughter Kathy Shefrin, grandsons, Mark Shefrin (Laurie) and Allan Shefrin (Stephanie) and her great-grandchildren, Abby, Seth, Livia and Frankie.
Born and raised in Hungary, Agnes – known to many as Agi – was a survivor. During the Second World War, her parents made the difficult choice to hide her with righteous neighbours, thus saving her life during the Holocaust. In post war Budapest, she met the love of her life Fred. Their new life took an abrupt turn when communism took over Hungary. In 1956, with nothing, Fred, Agi, Kathy and George moved to Winnipeg to join family.
Initially, life in Winnipeg was not easy, but they found safety, community and opportunity. Their greatest joy was time spent with their children and grandchildren. They loved to travel, especially to Hawaii. Agi had a dry sense of humour infused with a Hungarian accent and mixed up words that made everyone around her laugh. Though she was quiet, her big blue eyes and infectious smile could fill a room.
In 2007, her beloved Fred died, followed by her adored son George in 2016. Both times her resiliency and strength saw her though, and those qualities served her well again when she rebounded from a life-threatening infection while visiting her family in Ottawa.
Agi experienced life’s greatest joys as her four great-grandchildren arrived. She treasured them, as they did her.
The family expresses their utmost thanks to Agi’s devoted companion, Robin Davis for her love and care for Agi over the last four years. Special thanks to the Weinberg 3 team at the Simkin Centre.
The funeral took place on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Fred and Agnes Funk Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba or the charity of your choice to honour her remarkable life.