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
MARK BERNARD SCHACTER
May 12, 1946 – October 19, 2025
We are sad to announce that Mark Schacter died peacefully in Vancouver on October 19, 2025, at age 79.
He was born in Winnipeg on May 12, 1946, and moved to Vancouver at the age of 22 to seek his fortune, and lived and worked there for the rest of his life, in a number of careers. He was a raconteur, a free spirit, a sports fan, a close observer of current events, and a good friend to many, as far away as Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles. He attended the Canada-Russia hockey series in Moscow in 1972, flew on the Concorde to London, and went to Rio for Carnival on a number of occasions.
He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Brent Schacter and Sora Ludwig, nieces Miriam Stoller (Michael), Isanne Schacter, and Jennifer Schacter (Neil Rockman), grandnieces Reina and Maddie Stoller, Beatrice Schacter, and Sally Rockman, and grandnephew Jacob Rockman.
He was laid to rest in the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery near his parents on October 22, 2025. May his memory be a blessing.
Donations in his memory may be made to Yaletown House (www.yaletown.org) where he resided or to the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
GLORIA GERSHMAN
Our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Gloria Beatrice Gershman (née Lipchen), lived 95 remarkable years filled with love, laughter, resilience, generosity, a youthful spirit and a touch of mischief. Gloria passed away peacefully on October 16, 2025, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
She was predeceased by her parents Rose and Nathan Lipchen, her husband George Gershman in 2016 and her grandson Jesse Short-Gershman in 2014. Gloria is survived by her three children: Darryl (Diane), Shelley (David), and Stu (Niki), eight grandchildren: Rachel, Daniel (Yeraldin), Mike (Hannah), Kara, Emily, Ashley (Andy), Max, Zak, and two great-grandchildren Ari and Grayson.
Born in Winnipeg on November 27, 1929, Gloria spent her early childhood in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, before returning to Winnipeg in 1940. Gloria and George married in 1949, residing in Winnipeg until moving to Miami, Florida in 1958 and returning to Winnipeg in 1961.
Gloria attended business college and worked at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and Glendale Golf Course. She volunteered in the community conducting hearing tests for elementary school children.
To our family, Gloria was our biggest supporter, our safe place, our guiding voice, and our example of what it means to be strong, independent, loyal, resilient, and generous. Gloria was known for her wonderful sense of humour and occasional salty language.
Gloria’s talents included sewing, knitting, needle working, cooking, baking, gardening and bowling. The family loved her homemade cookies.
She was devoted to her grandchildren and shared a special and unique relationship with each of them. She adored every moment she spent with Ari and Grayson, who brought her joy in her later years.
Gloria was a regular with the super seniors at the local McDonalds. During the Covid pandemic, she and her friends held “parking lot gatherings” at McDonald’s, sitting in their cars, chatting through windows, laughing, and refusing to let isolation dull their spirits.
She was an unofficial counsellor and second mother for many of our friends, offering warmth, insight, honesty, and love.
Gloria cheered (sometimes colourfully) for her Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Jets, rarely missing a televised game.
Mom wanted her family to live their best lives; Mom’s memory will forever be a blessing and legacy for her loving family.
Among the many people we thank, we give a special thanks to Dr. Ify Osagie and mom’s dear health care companion Tess Barillos.
Graveside funeral was held on October 20, 2025, at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery.
Donations in Gloria’s memory may be made to the Buddy Check for Jesse Society, supporting youth mental health in honour of her grandson: https://buddycheckforjesse.com/ donate/
Obituaries
MARC AARON COHEN
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Marc Aaron Cohen on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at the age of 55, following a brave battle with cancer.
Survived by his parents Lawrence and Dolly (Reesa) Cohen, sister Michelle (Ben) Levich, nephew Seth Levich, auntie Deanna Cohen, uncle Sherv Sharagge, and many cousins.
Marc was in love with his career. He was passionate about trucking and was good at it, wearing several hats during his career. He was a dispatcher, a long haul and local trucker, and an instructor to new truckers, while working for several trucking companies including Quick Transfer, Big Freight, and Gershman Transport. Marc received numerous awards and recognitions during his career including the Elite Award for Excellence in Performance in 2014 and 2015 from Big Freight. His commitment to the trucking industry led him to be chosen for the Industry Excellence Award in 2015 from the Manitoba Trucking Association.
Marc’s second love was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Being on his motorcycle brought him so much joy. He loved playing, watching and coaching football. He was active in the Nomad Football Club. Being outdoors in any kind of weather was his favorite place to be.
The family would like to thank the amazing staff at Brightwater Tuxedo, Health Science Center, and St Boniface Hospital. We are grateful for the compassionate care they provided Marc.
Donations in Marc’s memory can be made to Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation. 204-787-4143.