Obituaries
NORMAN P ISLER
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Norman Perry Isler (Naphtali Peretz ben Leepe, ha Levi). Norman was the beloved husband of Toba for 63 years. Loving father to Pamela (Robert), and Rhonda (Sam), and Zadie to Michael (Madison) David, Andrew and Rebecca. Son of the late Leopold and Elsa, and brother of the late Robert (Henrietta).
Norman was born in Brighton Beach, New York in February 1934. Norm attended PS 253, Abraham Lincoln High School and Brooklyn College. Growing up in Brighton Beach, Norm had a wonderful childhood, spending time with his family, swimming in the ocean and playing stickball on the street with his friends. Norm was fortunate enough to have both his street friends and his school friends, all of whom he cherished. Baseball was his passion and he was a diehard Brooklyn Dodgers fan.
Education was very important to Norm. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Science, a Masters in Arts and after moving the family to Madison, Wisconsin in the late sixties for two years, he received his PhD in Education Administration.
Norm joined the US Army in 1955, where he served until 1957, stationed at Fort Lewis Washington – 50 miles south of Seattle. He and a few other Jewish men in his outfit would spend weekends in Seattle, with considerable time at the JCC, meeting girls. In 1957, shortly before his army discharge, Norm went to an event at the JCC where he met a lovely Jewish woman. Upon returning to his friends that evening, Norm would recount, “I think I just met the girl I am going to marry.”
Norman and Toba married in Winnipeg in 1958, but settled in New York for 18 months where they welcomed their first baby girl, Pamela. In 1961, they re-settled in Winnipeg and had their second daughter, Rhonda. Norm and Toba spent the next 40 years in Winnipeg. Norm worked his way up in education from a math teacher, to a Vice Principal at the Seven Oaks School Division, eventually becoming Superintendent.
Norm was active in his community in Winnipeg, serving on the Boards of the Rosh Pina Synagogue, the Seven Oaks Hospital, The Children’s Rehab Centre, and the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents. He even took a stab at a political career, running as both an MLA and MP.
After Norm retired from the school division he and Toba moved to Florida, where he tried his hand at a few more careers… financial planner, H&R Block tax specialist, and ‘almost’ real estate agent. In Norm fashion, he was active in his new Florida community, serving as Treasurer of the Ponte Vecchio West Board and driving the cop car to ensure neighborhood safety.
Norm was a highly organized administrator and an accomplished mathematician. His administrative skills were put to good use in both his work and personal lives.
Once, when planning a family trip to Europe, his daughters describe the military-like precision with which they toured various cities – spending the exact amount of time at each location as his schedule allowed. Half a day is really not enough time to see the entire city of Rome, but for Norm, planning and keeping to a schedule was just as good as the site itself.
Norm’s greatest joy in life was his family, and in his retirement, that joy was his grandchildren. Spending time with them was important to Norm, and he took every opportunity to take part in their lives; attending parent-teacher conferences, taking the entire family on vacations, dropping grandchildren off at college, and attending graduation ceremonies in Florida and Toronto. Although not the quickest to show emotion, Norm did not let a few days go by without his classic line “Zadie loves you very much”.
The last few years were hard for Norm and his family, as his memories became more and more fleeting, but they all took comfort in knowing how much he loved them all.
t’hay nafsho tzrurah b’tzror hachaim
May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life
In Norm’s memory, donations can be made to the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) plant a tree in Israel campaign.
Obituaries
YHETTA MIRIAM GOLDCM, OM, BA
September 3, 1929 – April 25, 2025
Yhetta passed away at home on her own terms.
As per her wishes, there will be no service.
The family would like to thank Realcare Inc, particularly Kristina, Ana, Agrima and Chantal for their compassion and expertise.
For those that would like to make a donation in her memory, please consider a gift to the Yhetta Gold Campership Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3N 2B4, jewishfoundation.org, or to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
SALLY ANN NARR
Sally Ann Narr, born September 5, 1935, passed away peacefully on February 10, 2025, at the age of 89.
Sally was born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, and attended William Whyte school and later St. John’s Tech. At 18 years old, Sally bravely made the decision to leave her family and friends in Winnipeg, and head to Los Angeles, California where she hoped to pursue a career in Hollywood. After arriving in LA, Sally got a job working at Farmer’s Insurance, until she landed her dream job at Capitol Records at Hollywood and Vine.
Sally absolutely loved her job at Capitol Records and often found herself partying with some of the most famous celebrities.
At a New Year’s Eve party in 1958, Sally met the love of her life, Frank, and they were married the following year on December 12, 1959. Sally and Frank were married for 65 years and were overjoyed when they welcomed their daughter, Heather on October 1, 1965. It was in 1969, some years after the Watts Riot in LA that Sally and Frank made the decision to leave LA and return to Winnipeg to raise their daughter. Once back in Winnipeg, Sally and Frank resided in the West Kildonan area for 43 years until they bought a condo and moved to the south end of the city to be close to their daughter and grandchildren.
Sally lived a full and rich life. Some of her fondest memories were going on a Caribbean cruise for hers and Frank’s 50th wedding anniversary with her family, going to Hawaii for her 80th birthday, and attending her granddaughter’s wedding in 2019. Beyond all of this, Sally’s greatest joy in life was when her two grandchildren were born. She was overjoyed to become a grandmother and said it was the best job in the world.
It was shortly after the arrival of her first great-granddaughter in 2022 that Sally became a resident of the Simkin Centre, a place she would call home for almost three years until her passing. The staff treated her with the utmost care and respect and helped guide her family through her battle with Alzheimers and in the last few months of her life, cancer.
Sally’s quality of life would not have been what it was if it was not for her devoted caregiver, Oxana. From 2020 to 2025, Oxana provided wonderful care for Sally through her compassion and dedication and love for both Sally and Frank. There are not enough ways to thank Oxana for everything she did for Sally and her entire family over their five years together.
Sally was predeceased by her parents, Ann and Nicholas Dutkevich and is survived by her husband, Frank Narr, her daughter Heather Cantor (Ed), granddaughter, Lexi Cantor (Dan Robillard), her grandson Ryan Cantor, great-granddaughters, Parker and Blake and her brother Joey Dutkevich (Karen).
The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer Association or the Simkin Centre in honour of Sally.
Obituaries
DR. ROBERT CORNE
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Robert Corne on February 5, 2025.
Dr. Corne was married to Irene (née Genser), for 66 years; father of Lesley Corne Wolman, (spouse-Jeff Wolman), Janet Corne, (spouse-Michael Katz), Maureen Slama, (spouse-Avi Slama), and Eric Corne, (spouse-Aimee Corne).
Grandfather of Ariel Slama, Yale Wolman (spouse-Ashlie Sapiro), Serena Wolman, Liav Slama, Neeve Slama, Ira Corne and Lilly Corne.
Born in 1936 in Winnipeg, Robert was the only child Hy and Yhetta Corne. He attended both River Heights Elementary School and Kelvin High School. He entered University of Manitoba Medical School at the age of 18, winning the Ibsen scholarship. He married Irene Genser in 1958.
In 1960, Robert, Irene, and daughter Lesley, moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Robert was a Fellow in Internal Medicine (1960-63) and a Fellow in Cardiology (1963-64) at the Mayo Clinic. Robert’s research interest was in cardiac pathology and in 1964 he received a Master’s in Science from the University of Minnesota. In1964 the young family, now including daughters, Janet and Maureen, moved to San Francisco where Robert spent a year at the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco. Robert became a fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Canada, a Diplomat of American Board of Internal Medicine, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Cardiology.
The family returned to Winnipeg in 1965 and Robert joined his uncle, Dr. Norman Corne and Dr. Mossy Lehmann in private practice for three years. In 1968, he joined the Faculty of Medicine in the department of Cardiology at University of Manitoba. For several years he worked with Dr. Frank Matthewson in a natural history study of cardiac disease in Canadian Air Force pilots whom they followed for over 30 years. Robert also pursued a special interest in heart disease in women.
In 1977 Robert was appointed as The Lady Davis Professor of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the family, now including son, Eric, moved to Israel for the year. where Robert opened the department of Nuclear Cardiology at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. He was privileged to take part in the first heart scan in Israel and participated in a cardiac evaluation of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
The Corne family returned to Winnipeg in 1978, and Robert became the co-Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Director of Cardiac Ambulatory Care at Health Sciences Center. Teaching was an exciting and rewarding part of his academic life, and he became a full Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. His research has been published in both the American Heart Journal and The American Journal of Cardiology.
Robert’s volunteer commitments included a seat on the Board of the Winnipeg Chapter of Hebrew University and was instrumental in launching the Academic Affairs Initiative. He was the Governor of the Prairie Provinces of American College of Cardiology, a councilor of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and a Member of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association.
Despite his overwhelmingly numerous academic and professional achievements, he would say that his greatest accomplishment was his family: his four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and sixty-six-year marriage to his beloved wife, Irene. He was a loving and caring husband, an exceptionally devoted father and an interested and involved grandfather who shared a unique relationship with each of his children and grandchildren. He was a loyal friend to many and a trusted colleague to all who worked alongside him.
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