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
Clarice Yentel Shell (Marantz) May 7, 1927 – May 13, 2025
Surrounded by family, our beloved Mom and Baba said goodbye at age 98. She is survived by her son Barry, and daughters Miriam and Ruth, her daughter-in-law Dorinda Neave, grandchildren Davina and Sam (Elisha) and great grandchildren, Benjamin and Rose.
Clarice, known as “Cal” was the last of her generation to leave us. She was predeceased by her parents Joe and Razel Marantz, brothers Chip (Shirley) and Basie (Shirley) and her brothers and sisters-in-law in the Shell family, Hymie (Kay), Pauline (Sam Zinman ) and Bill (Ruth). She was also predeceased by her loving husband of 54 years, Ben Shell and her son in law, Harry Sumner.
Born in Winnipeg, Cal was a trail blazer her entire life. She had numerous volunteer and professional achievements. One of her legacies was her ground breaking research to earn her Masters degree in Social Work in 1966. This led to Cal joining the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba where she made enduring changes to the core curriculum during her 15-year career.
Alongside her enormous contributions to the community, Cal was devoted to her large extended family. This was evidenced by her attendance at the weekly zooms and every major family event including her last visit to Winnipeg at age 97 for a very special Bat Mitzvah. She was a role model, a mentor, and a confidant to many. A skilled listener, Cal had an uncanny way of engaging others. She spoke her truth, helping to make changes and get things done. Cal knew the names and relations of the entire Shell and Marantz extended families and instead of counting sheep, she would often lie there recalling every single name, in every generation, all around the world, until she fell asleep. Her commitment to staying connected will always be remembered as one of her finest gifts.
In 2015, at age 88 Cal moved to Vancouver to be closer to her immediate family members. We thank the amazing staff and her friends at Legacy Senior Living who helped make the last 10 years of mom‘s life rich and full. We would also like to thank Dr. Alex Lecky for his years of excellent care, Colleen Riley and the gifted medical team at Vancouver General Hospital, who made her comfortable in her last days.
Cal was a remarkable person who lived a remarkable life. She will be dearly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.
Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba, of which she was a founding member, or the Cal Shell‘s Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. More details about Cal’s life can be found on her Book of Life page
https://bookoflife.jewishfoundation.org/ebol-donors/clarice-cal-shell
Obituaries
LOUIS COLISH FEBRUARY 15, 1945 – APRIL 23, 2025
With great sadness, we announce the unexpected passing of Louis Colish at the Health Sciences Centre, surrounded by friends. He was predeceased by his parents, William (Bill) and Bessie, whom he deeply cherished. Loui considered his father to be his best friend and he was a devoted caregiver to his mother in her later years.
Born in Winnipeg on February 15, 1945, Louis grew up in Garden City. He had a long and fulfilling career as a Reference Librarian at the West Kildonan Library, where he assisted countless patrons with their questions. Even in retirement, people he would meet often recognized him as “the librarian”.
Louis cherished his relationships with his family and friends. Those who had the privilege of knowing him described him as incredibly friendly, one of their favourite people, and simply the nicest guy.
A lifelong learner, Louis treasured his extensive book collection, with a particular love for astronomy and the works of Carl Sagan. He delighted in sharing stories of his travels to Europe, Hawaii, Arizona, Disney World, and his most cherished destination, Israel. He also enjoyed attending his bowling league, the Rady JCC’s senior program, and the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre. He loved music from the 1940s and 50s and delighted in performing his favourite tunes in talent shows at the Rady JCC and Gwen Secter programs.
Louis was a devoted member of the Rosh Pina and Etz Chayim synagogues. Fellow congregants fondly remember his passionate and dramatic chanting of the Prayer for Peace from the bimah—a heartfelt expression of his deep hope for a peaceful world.
A graveside service was held on April 25, 2025, at Rosh Pina Memorial Park.
Louis was a kind and generous soul who will be missed but never forgotten.
Obituaries
HERB SINGER
Peacefully, with his family by his side, Herb Singer passed away on April 3, 2025.
He is survived by his daughters, Leslie (Sheppy Coodin), Marnie and Sheryl (Kevin Segall). He is also survived by grandchildren, Josh Glow (Leah), Sari Glow, Justin Segall and Hayden Segall, his brother Earl (Mimi), and sisters-in-law, Maureen Steinfeld (Leo) and Bonnie Dressler (Kenny). He was predeceased by his wife Myrna, his parents, Anne and Dave Singer and in-laws, Irma and Harry Nepon.
Herb was born on February 26, 1944, in Winnipeg and spent his early years on the family farm in Ratcliffe, Saskatchewan before the family moved into the city, eventually settling on Smithfield in the North End.
Herb attended West Kildonan Collegiate, excelling in both academics and sports. Herb and Myrna grew up between Salter and Aikins but did not attend the same high school because the back lane between Smithfield (where Herb lived) and McAdam (where Myrna lived) was the dividing marker for St. John’s and West Kildonan. They met in 1960, having been introduced by a neighbour of Myrna’s who was friends with Herb. It was love at first sight; they married in 1966 after graduating from the University of Manitoba.
Herb received his CA designation in 1972. He began his career in public practice but then switched to working as the controller of GIII Limited, which he said allowed him to spend more time with his family.
Herb and Myrna loved spending summers with their girls travelling to Detroit Lakes with other Winnipeggers. Later years found the family travelling campgrounds in Canada and the US in the trailer and finally settling in for summers at Gimli, where the family has happy memories of days at the beach and nights by the campfire.
Herb was an athlete all his life; he played basketball and football as a teenager and then played squash, tennis, racquetball and golf as an adult. Herb spent much of his retirement on the golf courses with friends and grandchildren and also loved his bowling league.
Herb and Myrna loved travelling and together explored China, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, England and Israel just to mention a few places.
Herb was an extremely social person and connected with many people over the years through golf, bowling, bridge and through winters in Palm Springs.
Herb was a supporter of community organizations over his years. He helped organize fundraising dinners for Talmud Torah when his children were students, he was umpire at his girls’ baseball games and in later years, he helped with fundraising at Congregation Etz Chayim, particularly with the yearly Golf tournament as well as the Lottery Brunch. He also donated blood well over 100 times.
His most rewarding role was that of Zaida. He loved spending time with his grandchildren whether it was attending concerts, games or marking a special occasion. He would always make sure his freezer was full of meatballs and ice cream and his cupboard was full of treats for their visits.
Herb loved watching sports on TV and rarely missed a Bomber or Jets game. He particularly enjoyed watching with his family and friends and thought himself an excellent armchair coach!
A funeral service was held at Chesed Shel Emes with burial at Rosh Pina Memorial Park on April 4, 2025.
Those who are wishing to honour Herb are encouraged to make a donation in his memory to Congregation Etz Chayim or to the charity of their choice.
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