Funeral services took place at the Hebrew Sick Cemetary on April 17th. Joe will be lovingly remembered by his only son Morton, by his “honourary daughter” Linda Norton, who he met later in life and loved her so much and referred to her as his daughter, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife Rosetta (Dashevsky) of 25 years, and Anita (Leibl) of 25 years. He lost his parents, Mendel and Shindel (Tessler), and his five siblings, Rivka, Bayla, Rissel, Jacob, and Doba in the Holocaust.
Joe was born on May 4 1930 in Czechoslovakia and survived the Holocaust. After liberation he came to Canada (Regina) in 1948 and eventually moved to Winnipeg in 1950 to start a new life and raise a family. His son Morton was the center of his universe. Family meant everything to him. He was the best father any child could possibly have. Joe loved to travel and went on many trips with his family over the years, but his favorite was Hawaii, where he went many times and enjoyed the hot sun and great times. He was a tailor by trade, and worked for a few places before he opened up a dry cleaning business, Rainbow Cleaners with his best friend, another Holocaust survivor in the late 1950s. After that, he worked for Rice Sportswear as a shipper until his retirement in 1990. Joe was blessed with great health his whole life until weeks before his passing. He loved playing cards, especially bridge, and was active at the Gwen Secter Centre and later in life he attended day programs at Riverview and Lions Place and met many wonderful people. The family would like to thank the wonderful and caring staff at the St. Boniface Hospital B5 Ward for their great care during Joe’s very short stay there. We would also like to thank the incredible home care staff at WRHA, especially Robin, Elizabeth & Cora for their ongoing patience, caring, and love, who assisted Joe for his last few years. Donations can be made to the charity of your choice.