Obituaries
MENORAH WALDMAN
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Menorah Waldman on Wednesday, November 18, at the age of 95. Menorah lived a full and rich life, filled with family, friends, music, theatre, literature, Yiddishkeit and so much more.
Menorah leaves behind an extended clan of family and friends to celebrate her life and mourn her passing — her son Dovid and daughter Yona (Cam); grandchildren Louise (David), Sarah (Shawn), Marin (Sam), Charlotte (Jason) and Ryder; great-grandchildren Riel, Aliyah, Eva, Cassady and Cleo; and daughter-in-law Diane. The matriarch of the Waldman clan, she is also mourned by her nephews and nieces, her great-nieces and -nephews and many cousins. She also leaves her oldest and dearest friend, Jeanette. A sign of Menorah’s warm and welcoming nature was that her door was always open to everyone, and so the friends of all her kids and relations grew to know and love her too. She was predeceased by her parents Charles and Sarah Gorvich, her son Aili; grandson Cassady; husband Bert; nieces Shira and Carol; and most of her long-time friends.
The only child of Charles and Sarah Gorvich, Menorah grew up in the North End, attending Machray and St. John’s before going to university, a privilege at the time. She remained an active intellectual all her life and an especially avid reader, usually juggling several books at once.
She and Bert married in August 1945 and several years later, bought their first house on Lansdowne east of Main. They moved to Woodcrest Drive in a new and growing section of Garden City in 1963, where, together, they continued to raise their three children Aili, Dovid and Yona, while supporting and working for many community organizations, including Habonim and Chevra Mishnayes Synagogue. Menorah was an active member of the North End Yiddish Folk Choir, Pioneer Women/Na’amat and other organizations. Her commitment to community was lifelong – she volunteered with the Fringe Festival, WSO, PTE, Jewish Child and Family Services and the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre, where she also served as Chair of the Board for a number of years.
A feminist before the word existed, Menorah worked most of her life, retiring in her 60s to take up a new career as a certified fitness instructor, an accreditation she maintained until age 89. She regularly taught aquafit, aerobics and weight classes to seniors and others, in addition to swimming almost daily. She taught at the downtown Y, at the North End Centennial Pool, at Heidelberg Villa on Edmonton, and Lions’ Place on Portage. We believe she was the oldest contract employee of the City of Winnipeg! She also began swimming competitively at the Masters Level in her 70s, participating in many Manitoba Seniors’ Games and winning dozens of medals over the years.
Menorah leaves behind a rich legacy of activism. She was a lifelong socialist – in her youth she helped build the Habonim camp at Sandy Hook (Camp Massad). She knocked on doors for progressive candidates, marching against war, sexism and racism and cheerfully walking in Pride parades in support of beloved family and friends. She remained politically active and engaged up until the onset of dementia in her early 90s.
Menorah’s funeral was held graveside on November 19 at the Rosh Pina Memorial Park, with Rabbi Kliel Rose officiating. The family is grateful for his warm and compassionate service. The five mourners/pallbearers were family Dovid, Robbie and Louise Waldman, Phil Spevack and Diane Zack. A Zoom shiva was held on November 20 with more than 30 participants, including, appropriately, children running around in the background, which was exactly as Menorah would have wished.
Her family would like to express its gratitude to the staff and volunteers at the Simkin Centre for their compassionate and loving care, in particular to the staff on Simkin 1.
If you choose, donations in her memory can be made to the Spiritual Care Fund at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre or to Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.
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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