Obituaries
SARA HOCHMAN
With love and sadness in our hearts we announce the peaceful passing of our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt, Sara Hochman. Sara passed away at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 16, 2022 just 2 days after reaching her 100th birthday on April 14.
She was born during Passover and passed away during Passover 100 years later. For 58 years Sara was happily married to her husband Sam Hochman who predeceased her in 2008. Sara was the daughter of Celia and Sam Davis who predeceased her. She is also predeceased by her brother Louis Davis and sisters Annette Gordon and Rosetta Isenstein all of Calgary, Alberta. She is survived by her children Marcy and Barry Schwartz and Susan and Arnold Permut; cherished grandchildren Cara and Danny Stoller, Jill and Geoffrey Abraham, Hart Schwartz and Mandy Valin, Janie and Jeff Gilbert; beloved great-grandchildren Jacob, Josh and Alex Stoller; Joey and Sam Abraham; Zoe and Sam Gilbert. She is also survived by many dear nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, April 19 graveside at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery, officiated by Rabbi Matthew Leibl, whom we wish to thank for his guidance and painting a beautiful picture of Sara with his eulogy. Thank you to the pallbearers, Cara, Danny, Jacob, Josh Alex Stoller and Jeff Gilbert. Honourary pallbearers were Butch Hochman, Marna Ramsey, Gerald Rosenby and Syd Halprin.
Sara was born in Rowley, Alberta on April 14,1922. She spent the first 15 years of her life in the small Alberta town of Rockyford. At the age of 8 she showed an interest and talent in playing the piano. The Davis family did not have a piano but the convent located near by did. The nuns offered to give Sara piano lessons. She excelled and the nuns eventually asked her to play the piano at Sunday services, which she did every Sunday until the age of 15 when the family moved to Calgary.
After high school and business college Sara worked as a medical secretary at The Colonel Belcher Convalescent Hospital. She enjoyed playing music to the patients and staff. In 1949 Sara moved to Winnipeg and met and married Sam Hochman. They enjoyed 58 years together. Sara always loved music. She maintains that she was born with the “Gift Of Music”. She felt that this blessing should be shared with others, particularly hospitals and nursing homes. She dedicated her life to a full volunteer musical career for over 60 years. She was providing music therapy before the term music therapy was recognized.
Sara was honoured with several awards during her volunteer career. Those included are the B’nai Brith Women’s Charlotte Meyers Memorial Service Tribute Award 1973; twice inscribed in the “Book of Life” at the B’nai Brith Children’s Home in Bat Vagan, Israel; Shem Tov Community Volunteer Award Jewish Federation. Sara felt very honoured to receive these awards. She always said “Her greatest reward was the positive response of the residents to her music” She loved and was loved by the Sharon Home/Simkin Centre residents. She made many lasting, loving relationships as well with the staff of the recreation department. Many other organizations were the recipients of Sara’s music-to name a few Gwen Secter Creative Living, Rady Centre, Deer Lodge Centre, many hospitals and nursing homes.
Music was not Sara’s only talent. She was a wonderful cook, baker and hostess. Many new arrivals to Winnipeg and many from other countries were invited to join our family at Friday dinner or other holidays.
Sara wanted a thank you to go out Dr Nadar Roman for great care and treating Sara so respectfully and to Dr Alan Finkleman for taking such good dental care. Thank you to the Simkin Centre staff for the care and respect given Sara. Many thanks to Dr. Louis Chung for his compassionate care to Sara and her family. A thank you is also extended to the caring staff of the Shaftesbury Retirement Residence where Sara lived for 8 years. Thank yous would not be complete without a thank you to the group of people whom our family relied on. The people we are referring to are Sara’s companions. A heartfelt thank you to Marie De LaCruz, Marian Candelaria and Maria Labao. Thank you for providing so much care, love and respect to Sara. Our family will always remember the three of you.
In 1999 Sara was honoured for 40 years of volunteer music therapy at the Simkin Centre. At that time The Sara Hochman Music Therapy Endowment Fund was established. We would appreciate donations to be directed to that fund at the Simkin Centre or to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
DONALD (DON) BASS

1938-2025
It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Donald (Don) Bass on May 14, 2025.
Don is survived by his partner of 25 years Darlene, children, Eileen Fortin (Tim) and Hartley Bass, stepchildren Pyper (Jesse) and Palmer and sister Lynda. He was also a beloved grandfather to Kelsey and Taylor and Zaidie to Rooney and Lux.
Don was predeceased by his parents Abe and Gloria Bass and by his son Jonathon.
Don was born in Fort William, Ontario in 1938. He came to Winnipeg to attend university but ultimately made his mark operating Dutchmaid Ice Cream, including manufacturing ice cream for dairies across Western Canada gaining him the title of “Emperor of Ice Cream”.
During and after operating Dutchmaid, Don also managed rental properties in and around the Osborne Village.
Don was more than an entrepreneur and an astute businessman; he was a man of decency, generosity, integrity and compassion. He treated everyone he met with respect, offering help in any way he could.
Don was also known for his sarcasm and sense of humour earning him the added title of “Real Character”.
Don loved family, he loved people, and he loved his annual trips to South Florida.
Funeral and burial were held on May 20 at Shaarey Zedek Cemetery with the Meal of Condolence at Temple Shalom.
Donations can be made to the General Fund at Temple Shalom or to the Gloria and Abe Bass Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
May Don’s memory be a blessing.
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.
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