Obituaries
LAURANE SCHULTZ
We sadly announce the passing of our beloved mother, Laurane Schultz, on January 25, 2020.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 62 years, Albert; parents Anna and Louis Greenberg; sisters Esther Goodman and Sylvia Struzer, daughter-in-law Anna, and cherished family members.
She is survived by her children Erica (Phil Denomme), Lois, Victor and Myron (Elana) and granddaughters Dafna, Abbie and Liat. She will also be greatly missed by sisters-in-law Alice Halprin and Sally Shuckett; her sisters’ daughters Roberta Goodman, Pam Stelcner and Lisa Ohayon; her dear nieces and nephews; her grand-parenting partners, Serky and Ben Goldberg; and many wonderful friends.
Born May 14,1926, she was the golden-haired youngest of three. Her parents were immigrants who settled in Regina before moving the family to Winnipeg’s North End in 1929. Her father was a Hebrew School teacher, her mother a homemaker who performed in Winnipeg’s Jewish Theatre. They imparted strong values of social consciousness which she carried throughout her life.
As a young child she was recognized as a piano prodigy and learned much of the most difficult repertoire by ear before she could read music. She went on to win many awards and scholarships and had her own weekly radio show on CBC. She had fond memories of playing for the troops in Carberry and accompanying the Gilbert and Sullivan productions at St. John’s High School.
In her late teens, she left to study piano in Montreal, continuing at Juilliard in New York with Joseph Raieff and in California with Soulima Stravinsky. Reflecting back, she said that the greatest piano teacher she had ever worked with was here in Winnipeg, the late John Melnyk.
On one of her visits home, our parents were introduced by a mutual friend who knew of their shared love of music. They married on December 20, 1951 and a budding concert career was happily set aside for a wonderful life as inarguably the world’s most cherished wife and mother.
Her love and knowledge of music was at the core of her soul, and we literally learned music at her feet, lying underneath her treasured grand piano as she taught and played. As our own talents emerged, she devoted herself to developing them to their greatest potential.
Throughout her life she was also a marvelous cook and hostess. Her baking was unsurpassed, her fried chicken could have built an empire. Her presentation of food from the simplest sandwich to the fanciest torte was as wonderful as the taste, and brought her great satisfaction.
Our mother also helped our father in business as a sounding board for marketing and developing products, working at trade shows across North America and helping in the retail store – the Wonderful World of Sheepskin. She loved visiting with the staff at the company’s annual Christmas party where she was always treated with great affection and respect.
As a young family we enjoyed wonderful trips to Grand Forks, Bemidji and Grand Beach, and later to Florida, Las Vegas, Maui, and the Caribbean. In retirement, our parents cruised the world and then fully embraced the Snowbird life at their home in Palm Springs, which became our favorite place to spend time together, with beloved spouses, partners, and grandchildren now added to the family.
Her granddaughters brought tremendous joy to her life. She followed their interests and activities with great pride and was so pleased that music was a part of their well-rounded lives. She was fascinated by their discussions about environmentalism and their understanding of the world’s most pressing issues.
Though nearly ninety-four, our mother retained her youthfulness, beauty, grace, intelligence and vitality. Her strength upon losing our father in 2013 was an inspiration and we did everything in our power to ensure she continued to live the best life possible. We loved spending time with her sharing meals, talking, playing cards, travelling, getting together with friends, or just watching TV. She was a voracious reader, a Scrabble and crossword expert, and a very talented sculptor. She continued to practice the piano daily, and still played beautifully. She was a political news junkie, always up on pop culture, and in recent years a devoted Jets fan.
We are thankful to her physician and friend Dr. Wayne Manishen and his colleague Dr. Dana Moffat; to Leona, Lettie and Dolores who assisted her in her home and treated her like a queen; to the gatekeepers at 141 Wellington Crescent, especially Chris, Hans, Randy and Tony; and to Drs. Jean Prenovault and Bruce Martin and the staff at Victoria General Hospital 4 North for their care and kindness.
Our mother was our comfort, our friend, our guide and our biggest supporter. All who knew her will miss her beautiful smile, humor, wisdom, kindness and gentle spirit. While our loss is beyond profound, what we had was so extraordinary, the only word that truly applies to us is Blessed.
Services were held Tuesday, January 28 at Congregation Etz Chayim officiated by Rabbi Kliel Rose and Cantor Tracy Kasner.
The eulogy was lovingly delivered on our behalf by David Weinberg.
Pallbearers were Jason Cristall, Allan Keisler, Daniel Koulack, The Honourable Shane Perlmutter, Kinzey Posen and Steven Raber.
Honorary Pallbearers were Melvyn Pollins and Richard Yaffe.
Donations in her memory can be made to The Canadian Music Competition/Winnipeg Chapter at www.cmcnational.com or to any organization serving Winnipeg’s homeless.
Obituaries
RITA TRITT
March 29, 1925 – February 22, 2025
Just a month before her 100th birthday, Rita passed away peacefully with family by her side. She was the last of her generation of the large Weidman family, one of the earliest Jewish families in Winnipeg. Growing up in Winnipeg, she attended the University of Manitoba and the University of Minnesota, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from there. Rita was a very talented artist; she attended the Forum Art Institute for many, many years where she enjoyed the mentorship and camaraderie of fellow artists. She was proud of having sold several hundred pieces of her work over her time there.
Rita was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Joe Tritt, in 1986. She is survived by her loving family, her children: Jacki and Sheldon Koven, Steven Tritt and Sharon Goszer Tritt; grandchildren: Lesley Koven and Eric Thomas, Mara Koven-Lapointe and Ryan Lapointe, Joseph Tritt and Shaun Castor; great-grandchildren: Ayla and Eli Thomas, and Kate Lapointe.
Funeral services were held on February 24, 2025. Rita’s family is grateful for the warm and attentive care of Sherryl and Sergio and all the staff on Weinberg 1 at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre where Rita lived for the last 3 years. If friends wish, a donation in Rita’s memory can be made to the Simkin Centre or the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
Obituaries
ISABELLE BOOK
It is with sadness and gratitude for a life well lived, that we announce the passing of our family matriarch Isabelle Book. Izzy was born on November 21, 1925, and passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
She was predeceased by her parents Clara and Jacob Brownstein, her brother Walter, her sister Minnie Goldman, her beloved husband Arthur, her brother-in-law Noel and a fabulous group of women who shared a friendship that lasted decades.
She is survived by her 4 children, Warren and Faye Book, Marilyn and David Pressman, Jacqueline and Jory Stillwater and David and Elaine Book. She was a very proud Baba to Hilary Book, Deborah Book and Mike James, Laurie and Ginny Stillwater, Kayleigh and Barrett Ruggles, Adam Book and Gabe Bloomfield-Book and Seth Book and Amy Shore. She so enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of her great-grandchildren Hugo, Marcus, Reese, Maverick, Richie and Sullivan. She will also be greatly missed by her sister -in- law and dear friend Shirley Book.
Izzy had a great sense of humour and was often unable to get to the punchline of a joke because she was laughing so hard. She could be stubborn and strong minded. She would dig in her heels if she felt she was being pushed to make a decision she wasn’t ready to make. Izzy enjoyed time with family and friends but was also very comfortable with her own company.
Izzy knew what it meant to be a friend. She was a kind compassionate woman who cherished the people in her life and was always our biggest fan. Our mom was a quality human being who never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Izzy lived by the Golden Rule. She lived a long, healthy life but remained seriously young at heart.
There are memories to last a lifetime, ones that we will keep close as we honour her memory. We were blessed to have her for as long as we did, strong, loving and sharp until almost the end. She modeled what it meant to live a good life. She also did it on her terms.
The funeral took place on Sunday, February 9 at the B’nai Abraham Cemetery with Rabbi Kliel Rose officiating. Pallbearers were her grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the incredible staff at the Rosewood (Maple House) where she lived. She bonded with many of the wonderful people who cared and supported her there.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Naomi Lander Rosenthal February 14, 1940 – February 12, 2025
Naomi Lander Rosenthal was born in Winnipeg and passed away two days shy of her 85th birthday. She was the daughter of Drs. Jacob Joseph (Jack) Lander, a respected and beloved family practitioner in Winnipeg, and Clara (Shnay) Lander, a literary scholar and past President of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Board of Governors.
Naomi was a classically trained pianist and performed both formally and informally in many venues. She was always asked to play at any party where there was a piano. Her favorite classical piece was Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, which readers can listen to and enjoy here. Naomi was heavily influenced by the version played by the pianist Glenn Gould, which approximates how Naomi approached it. Naomi had a great appreciation for complexity in musical style and composition. Her piano repertoire extended from Bach and Brahms to Elton John and Billy Joel.
Naomi lived in Toronto from 1968-1988 and then moved back to Winnipeg in 1989 to help care for her father when he became ill. She worked in senior executive assistant roles from the 1970s through the early 1990s in insurance, government and the non-profit sectors before retiring at age 65. Her work ethic, perfectionism and sense of mission throughout her career made Naomi a beloved team member, who also fostered life-long friendships with her supervisors and even their families.
In addition to music, Naomi had many interests, including gourmet cooking, film, science fiction and fantasy, and politics. Naomi could engage anyone in any number of subjects and was particularly interested in health and medicine. Naomi will now go on to teach medical students through the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ body donation program.
Naomi is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Ahava Rosenthal and Michael Shore, of Boston, MA; M. Sara Rosenthal and Kenneth Ain of Lexington, Kentucky; her grandchildren, Kayla Shore and Jacob Shore; her step-grandchildren, Maxwell Ain and Jacob Ain; her sisters, Myra Lander of San Mateo, California, and Judith Lander of Toronto; nephews Kalan Vuksanovich and Stephen Israels and many extended family members from the Lander families, Shnay families, and Rothberg families.
The family wishes to thank Richard (Dick) and Joanne Rothberg; Naomi’s wonderful caregivers at The Key, homecare assistance in Winnipeg, including Brian Boxall and Althea King; the Simkin Centre; and Elena Episcope for helping to make Naomi’s final years so much more comfortable.
A remembrance of Naomi will be held on Thursday evening, February 20th at 7 pm at 202 Lamont Blvd in Winnipeg. Donations in Naomi’s memory may be made to CancerCareManitoba or to the organization of your choice.
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