Obituaries
REBECCA ROSNER (nee Rosenheck)
Rebecca passed away peacefully, at St. Boniface Hospital, on April 26, 2015, after a short illness, at the age of 96 years.
She was born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, on September 27, 1918, to Minnie and Arthur Rosenheck. She was the third oldest of her eight siblings.
The family lived in Oxbow, Saskatchewan approximately 15 years and then moved to Hirsch, Saskatchewan. They were part of the “Hirsch Colony Jewish Settlement”. She was the second last surviving family member in her generation, on both sides of the family.
She was predeceased by her parents Minnie and Arthur Rosenheck, her husband Ephraim, her eight siblings: Ben Rosenheck, Max Rosenhek, Hanna Zack, Shirley Levine, Sylvia Frankel, Elkin Rosenhek, Ruby Sideman, and a “little girl” Rosenheck.
After her father passed away in 1945, the family moved to Winnipeg and they lived in the “North End”. Becky helped look after her younger siblings. She worked at Cari’s in the “undergarment business.”
She met Ephraim, the love of her life, in the mid-1950s. They married on November 9,1957, and had two children, Martin and Jackie.
In our early years Mother was at Home and Dad was a “travelling salesman” for a garment company.
Dad took ill in the early 1960s and was unable to travel. They decided to start a business and opened up Peacock Corsetry in the new Polo Park Shopping Mall. Becky was a “specialist” in her field and the store was known for its “customer service”. Becky and her staff did all their own alterations on the undergarments, free of charge. Becky also fitted many women after surgery. This provided them with comfort and brought back their dignity.
After nearly 30 years Becky retired. She was in her early 70s. Long-time customers would phone her at home and ask her to help them with their fittings and she would always oblige.
Family was always important to her. Becky always enjoyed attending family occasions – outings in the park, dinners, weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs.
A “Jewish home” was always important to her, along with the celebration of the Jewish holidays. Becky always baked honey cake and prepared other holiday foods three-four weeks in advance. Everything she prepared was delicious and she enjoyed being together with family.
In June, 2000, the first of her two grandchildren were born. Becky was excited to become a “Baba”. Natalie and Sarah brought great joy to her life and her eyes would light up every time she saw them.
She is survived by her son Martin, daughter-in-law Lori, grandchildren Natalie and Sarah, of Coquitlam, BC, and her daughter Jackie, of Winnipeg.
She is also survived by her sister-in-law Doreen Rosenhek, of Richmond B.C.
A graveside funeral service was held at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery on April 28, 2015. A meal of consolation followed at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. Pallbearers were her nephews: Sidney Rosenhek, Larry Zack, Gerald Rosner, Evan Rosner, Jonathan Fine and Zev Rumstein.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Thorvaldson Care Center for all their kindness and compassion over the last two years. We also thank the staff of 5E Medicine, St. Boniface Hospital for all their care and concern. And a big thank you to Becky’s companion, Loretta. We are very grateful to everyone.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of choice.
Rest in peace Mother and Baba.
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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