Obituaries
KATHERINE (KATHY) GREENBLAT
With deep sorrow and regret, the family of Katherine Mary Greenblat mourns her passing on September, 2, 2021 – one month shy of her 80th birthday.
Katherine passed away peacefully in her sleep at her residence. She leaves behind her devoted husband and soulmate of 56 loving years, Cecil Greenblat; her three children, Cynthia, Harry, and Lenard Greenblat; and granddaughter Madeleine – Harry’s daughter.
Katherine loved her family dearly and devoted her life to being a nurturing and supportive wife and mother. She was also a great mentor. She taught her children to have good ethics and morals and treat all people with kindness and honesty.
Katherine was born on October 12th, 1941 in Atikokan, Ontario. She came from a large family of eight siblings. Katherine’s surviving five siblings are: Helen Watson, who also lives in Winnipeg and with whom Katherine shared a very special bond together; Shirley and husband Chris Lachance; brother Gary and wife Diane Demchuck; Doreen Banks; and Elsie Demchuck. Katherine also leaves behind her sister-in-law, Anne Gardner, and family. As well, Katherine is survived by her childhood best friend, Jeannette and her husband, Ivan Geogison. Katherine loved them like family.
Katherine was predeceased by her parents, Anne and George Demchuck, her sister Vera and husband Bob Sutch, and her youngest brother, Bobby, who died at age 16. As a young girl, Katherine took Bobby under her wing and loved him dearly. Bobby’s passing was a huge lifelong loss for Katherine and anytime she spoke of him she would cry.
Katherine was also predeceased by her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Eva and Tony Obornick. Their surviving children are: Laura and husband Jerry, Jeffrey, and Howard Obornick, and Susan and Brian Sherwood. Katherine was also predeceased by her in-laws, Harry and Luba Greenblat, and by her brother-in-law, Al Greenblat.
Katherine completed Grade 13 at Atikokan High School. Katherine had many interests as a young girl that continued into her adulthood. Her hobbies included baking, sewing, and reading. Katherine also loved children and was a devout believer in G-d. As a young girl, she taught Bible classes to children in her community.
Katherine met her husband, Cecil Greenblat, when she moved to Winnipeg when she was 21 and married at age 23.
In Winnipeg, Katherine worked in various places. She worked as a secretary at Beaver Lumber and at a dental office, also at Gambles. Later on she worked as a nursery teacher at the YMHA, where she was loved by all the children and very respected by the parents.
The one word that describes Katherine is a “Tzadika”, a very righteous women with a heart of gold.
Anyone who knew Kathy was touched by her kindness, warmth and generosity. She was a very wise and understanding woman who went above and beyond to help people and animals. She gave generously to many charitable organizations, such as: the CJA, the homeless, the Siloam Mission, the Harvester, the Cancer Society , the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Arthritis Society, and the CNIB.
As a great animal lover, Katherine had many cats and dogs throughout her married life, whom she loved and adored. She also donated to animal rescue groups, such as the Wild Animal Foundation, the Winnipeg Humane Society, and PETA. Kathy was a very special person, not only giving monetary donations, but going out of her way and using her special talents cooking and baking gourmet foods for seniors, widows, the less fortunate, also monthly party sandwiches and pastries for the staff at the Winnipeg Humane Society.
Katherine was converted according to Orthodox Jewish law when she was married. She was already a devout believer in G-d and fell in love with Judaism. She was also a very spiritual woman. Katherine kept a kosher household, separating the milk and meat dishes, lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday, going to synagouge for the High Holidays with her family, and sending her children to Jewish religious schools: the Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate. Katherine also celebrated all the Jewish holidays and traditions and made all the different foods for each holiday. She loved G-d with all her heart. Katherine was also asked by her Jewish friends at weddings to say the blessing before eating the meal. Katherine and her husband Cecil were also members of Yachad for years, a Jewish club which they loved.
Unfortunately and very sadly, in her later years Katherine developed dementia, which was heartbreaking for her and her family. Katherine was always a strong and positive person and stayed strong right up until the very end.
The Winnipeg Home Care staff who worked with Katherine were always so friendly and provided the absolute best care for her. The family is greatly appreciative to everyone who supported her.
There are not enough words to express how much Katherine is dearly missed by her family. Katherine’s passing has left a huge void and emptiness in our hearts and lives. We pray one day we all will meet again in heaven, Gan Eden.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Lorraine Norma Reiner (nee Reich)
It is with deep sorrow that the family of Lorraine Reiner announces the passing of our mother and baba after a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her children, Marlaina (Hillel) and Susan (Wil), her grandchildren, Sarah (Justin), Jordana (Blake), and Micah, and her great grandson, Elias. She was predeceased by her parents Rose and Sam, her husband Barry, her brother Max, her son Sam, and her granddaughters June and Beth.
Lorraine, at her core, was a loving caregiver. Lor-raine‘s father died when she was only eight years old. She grew up helping her mother with household and family chores after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She cared for her mother-in-law, husband, and cousin during their battles with ill-nesses and final stages of life.
We remember Lorraine as a woman whose love for her family knew no limits. She adored her children and grandchildren and formed special bonds with each of them. Her family was everything to her, and she meant the world to her family. She stepped into the role of Baba Lorraine with open arms and an enormous heart; there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her children and grandchildren. Lorraine was surrounded by her family during her final stage of life.
Cooking was an important part of Lorraine’s identi-ty. She was most famous for her chicken soup and S-cookies and she loved to spread joy and comfort through sharing her cooking with others. She always had a freezer stocked with homemade meals and anytime a family member felt unwell, she was at the ready with a batch of “Jewish penicillin”.
Lorraine had a diverse and eclectic resume that in-cluded office work for all three Jewish Newspapers, including The Jewish Post, The Western Jewish News, and The Yiddeshe Vort. Later she worked as office staff at Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and As-troid Management. Her final job was an 11-year tenure as a clerk for the City of Winnipeg’s Assess-ment Department.
Lorraine loved sharing stories with everyone and had a special way of getting lost in a story. Any-one who had the pleasure of listening to one of Lor-raine’s stories knows how her mood instantly lit up when she had the opportunity to share. Her stories, alongside her recipes, will live on through her loved ones.
The funeral was held at the Chesed Shel Emes on Tuesday March 26, followed by a burial service at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. Pallbearers were Blake Nichols, Justin Odwak, Cal & Asher Reich, Brian Rosenberg, Wil Scheiring, Sean Smith, and Micah Sommer. Honorary pallbearers were Mickey Rosenberg & Alan Schweid.
The family wishes to thank the numerous health-care staff who participated in Lorraine’s care over the past couple of months, especially the wonderful staff at the Health Sciences Centre H3 surgical unit, Drs. Bubis, Goldenberg, Lipschitz, Shell, and Visser.
Obituaries
EDWARD PERRY REISS April 30, 1935 – February 20, 2024
Ed was born in Poland in 1935 and fled to Canada in 1939 with his parents Raizel and Ira and older brothers Harry and Sam. The family settled in Edenbridge, SK where they farmed and where sister Ida was born.
In high school, the family moved to Winnipeg where Ed attended St. John’s before attending the University of Manitoba and finishing at the University of Western Ontario.
In 1968, Ed met his wife Barbara playing badminton at the YMHA. They were married three months later and left for New York where Ed trained as a stockbroker on Wall Street. Returning to Winnipeg, Ed worked as a broker for years before joining Barbara in what became the family business, Desserts Plus. They worked together for close to 40 years.
In 1971 daughter Lisa was born followed by Pam in 1974. Ed loved spending time with his family at their cottage near Kenora or on many road trips around North America and trips around the world. We were blessed and fortunate to be able to enjoy our time together.
Ed is survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara; daughter Pam and his buddy Farfel, as well as his brother Sam, sister Ida Alpern and in-laws, Len and Lynne Shapiro, Honey Kowall, and nephews and nieces.
Ed was predeceased by his dear daughter Lisa, parents, Raizel and Ira, in-laws, Irene and Joe Shapiro, brother Harry, sisters-in-law, Vicky and Bayla, brothers-in-law, Saul Alpern and David Shapiro.
The family thanks the wonderful staff at the Simkin Centre who were very supportive and caring during his time there. And our deep thanks to Cantor Tracy Kasner for performing the burial ceremony with kindness and sensitivity.
Ed was a man of integrity, intelligence, honesty, wit, and above all else, he loved his girls.
Obituaries
PHILIP KAHANOVITCH
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Philip Kahanovitch in Winnipeg, MB on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
Philip will be remembered by his dear son Joshua; brother David; niece and nephews, Deborah, Aaron and Jonathan. Philip was predeceased by his loving wife Susan, parents, Moses and Esther, brother Gerry, and sister-in-law Risa.
Philip was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Philip loved travelling on cruises and throughout both North America and Europe. Philip will be remembered for his career as a teacher in both Altona, Neepawa, and Winnipeg, and for his long standing practice as a professional accountant. Philip adored dogs, particularly terriers, and owned several furry companions over the years, including his beloved Hamish.
Following a service, Philip was interred at Rosh Pina Cemetery. If loved ones desire, a memorial donation can be made to a charity of their choice.
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