Obituaries
RUTH GUTKIN October 10, 1920 – November 10, 2022
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our remarkable mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Ruth Gutkin. She was predeceased by her loving husband, Jack, her parents, Passy (Selig) and Benjamin Moscovitch, by brothers, Sydney Moss and Norman Moss, and sisters, Laura Rosen, Hannah Steindel, Esther Herscovitch, Irene Gunn, and Evelyn Silver.
Ruth is survived by her children, Terry Gutkin (Carole) and Donald Gutkin (Belva); by her grandchildren, Hedy Taylor (Scott), Beth Roy (Shane), Shaun Gutkin (Angela) and Meghan Gutkin; by her great- grandchildren, Jainie, Joshie, Nevan, Lucy, Angelica, Aria and Bella Rose; by her sister-in-law, Shirley Hendin, as well as by many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
Ruth was a remarkable woman in every sense of the word. For 61 years she devoted her life to her husband, Jack, who was the love of her life. Ruth celebrated her 102nd birthday on October 10, 2022 and lived to experience over those many years and to adapt to, profound technological and social changes as well as to experience monumental historical events. Her mind and memory were extraordinarily sharp right up until her death and she maintained a keen interest in world and local affairs despite hearing and sight difficulties.
Although she lost her husband in 2004, Ruth maintained her independence and fiercely protected it right up until her passing. After the death of her husband, she continued to live for a while in their condominium and then moved into the Shaftesbury Retirement Residence. There she was able to maintain an active lifestyle almost right until the end. Ruth was extremely conscious of maintaining her health and partook with gusto in the physical fitness courses offered at the Shaftesbury. Ruth had many friends at the Shaftesbury and was described by one of her fitness instructors as an “amazing strong willed independent warrior.”
In the last year or so, Ruth reluctantly admitted that she needed the help of caregivers. She was very grateful for the care and comfort they provided to her as well as for the attention the Shaftesbury staff was able to give to her.
Ruth lived with dignity, wished to die with dignity and left this earth with her dignity intact. Ruth’s overwhelming fear as she neared the end of her life, with her health rapidly failing, was to have to live out her remaining days in a nursing home. Mercifully, this fear was never realized. About five weeks prior to her passing and unable to receive the care she required at the Shaftesbury, Ruth was admitted to the Palliative Care ward of the Riverview Health facility. Here she spent her remaining days receiving phenomenal and loving care.
In her earlier years Ruth, together with Jack, gave back to the community, serving as presidents of B’nai Brith in Winnipeg and working with youth through the B’nai Brith Youth Organization as well as with many other organizations. After Jack’s retirement Ruth spent many wonderful winters with him in Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Phoenix. Ruth was especially fond of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was always there for them and they loved her deeply.
Ruth will be missed by all of the family and by those fortunate enough to have known her. She will live forever in their memories.
Ruth’s family wishes to thank the nurses, caregivers and staff at the Shaftesbury and the doctors, nurses and social workers at Riverview, who provided compassionate and wonderful care to her. A special thank you goes to Dr. Bruce Martin and Dr. Ted St. Goddard who were there for Ruth whenever she needed them. Also special thanks to Ruth’s niece, Karen Steindel, and her great-niece, Marina Herscovitch, who spent countless hours providing companionship and assistance to her.
Funeral services and interment were at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery on November 13, 2022, with Rabbi Mass officiating. Pallbearers were Shane Roy, Martin Herscovitch, Richie Herscovitch, Gordon Steindel, Itzik Joudan, and Hartley Hyman.
As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to the Riverview Health Centre Foundation.
Obituaries
ISABELLE BOOK
It is with sadness and gratitude for a life well lived, that we announce the passing of our family matriarch Isabelle Book. Izzy was born on November 21, 1925, and passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
She was predeceased by her parents Clara and Jacob Brownstein, her brother Walter, her sister Minnie Goldman, her beloved husband Arthur, her brother-in-law Noel and a fabulous group of women who shared a friendship that lasted decades.
She is survived by her 4 children, Warren and Faye Book, Marilyn and David Pressman, Jacqueline and Jory Stillwater and David and Elaine Book. She was a very proud Baba to Hilary Book, Deborah Book and Mike James, Laurie and Ginny Stillwater, Kayleigh and Barrett Ruggles, Adam Book and Gabe Bloomfield-Book and Seth Book and Amy Shore. She so enjoyed seeing pictures and videos of her great-grandchildren Hugo, Marcus, Reese, Maverick, Richie and Sullivan. She will also be greatly missed by her sister -in- law and dear friend Shirley Book.
Izzy had a great sense of humour and was often unable to get to the punchline of a joke because she was laughing so hard. She could be stubborn and strong minded. She would dig in her heels if she felt she was being pushed to make a decision she wasn’t ready to make. Izzy enjoyed time with family and friends but was also very comfortable with her own company.
Izzy knew what it meant to be a friend. She was a kind compassionate woman who cherished the people in her life and was always our biggest fan. Our mom was a quality human being who never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Izzy lived by the Golden Rule. She lived a long, healthy life but remained seriously young at heart.
There are memories to last a lifetime, ones that we will keep close as we honour her memory. We were blessed to have her for as long as we did, strong, loving and sharp until almost the end. She modeled what it meant to live a good life. She also did it on her terms.
The funeral took place on Sunday, February 9 at the B’nai Abraham Cemetery with Rabbi Kliel Rose officiating. Pallbearers were her grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the incredible staff at the Rosewood (Maple House) where she lived. She bonded with many of the wonderful people who cared and supported her there.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Naomi Lander Rosenthal February 14, 1940 – February 12, 2025
Naomi Lander Rosenthal was born in Winnipeg and passed away two days shy of her 85th birthday. She was the daughter of Drs. Jacob Joseph (Jack) Lander, a respected and beloved family practitioner in Winnipeg, and Clara (Shnay) Lander, a literary scholar and past President of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Board of Governors.
Naomi was a classically trained pianist and performed both formally and informally in many venues. She was always asked to play at any party where there was a piano. Her favorite classical piece was Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, which readers can listen to and enjoy here. Naomi was heavily influenced by the version played by the pianist Glenn Gould, which approximates how Naomi approached it. Naomi had a great appreciation for complexity in musical style and composition. Her piano repertoire extended from Bach and Brahms to Elton John and Billy Joel.
Naomi lived in Toronto from 1968-1988 and then moved back to Winnipeg in 1989 to help care for her father when he became ill. She worked in senior executive assistant roles from the 1970s through the early 1990s in insurance, government and the non-profit sectors before retiring at age 65. Her work ethic, perfectionism and sense of mission throughout her career made Naomi a beloved team member, who also fostered life-long friendships with her supervisors and even their families.
In addition to music, Naomi had many interests, including gourmet cooking, film, science fiction and fantasy, and politics. Naomi could engage anyone in any number of subjects and was particularly interested in health and medicine. Naomi will now go on to teach medical students through the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ body donation program.
Naomi is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Ahava Rosenthal and Michael Shore, of Boston, MA; M. Sara Rosenthal and Kenneth Ain of Lexington, Kentucky; her grandchildren, Kayla Shore and Jacob Shore; her step-grandchildren, Maxwell Ain and Jacob Ain; her sisters, Myra Lander of San Mateo, California, and Judith Lander of Toronto; nephews Kalan Vuksanovich and Stephen Israels and many extended family members from the Lander families, Shnay families, and Rothberg families.
The family wishes to thank Richard (Dick) and Joanne Rothberg; Naomi’s wonderful caregivers at The Key, homecare assistance in Winnipeg, including Brian Boxall and Althea King; the Simkin Centre; and Elena Episcope for helping to make Naomi’s final years so much more comfortable.
A remembrance of Naomi will be held on Thursday evening, February 20th at 7 pm at 202 Lamont Blvd in Winnipeg. Donations in Naomi’s memory may be made to CancerCareManitoba or to the organization of your choice.
Obituaries
DR. ARTHUR G. HERSCOVITCH
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Arthur Herscovitch on February 3, 2025, at the age of 77.
Arthur will be remembered by his wife Linda, daughter Rennie (Mark), granddaughters, Anna and Miriam, sister Judy (Mel), brother Robert (Lynda), brother Martin (Rose), and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Arthur started his long career as a clinical psychologist in Winkler, Manitoba. A year later he moved back to Winnipeg, where he spent 36 years working at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, where he helped thousands of patients through very difficult times.
Arthur and Linda loved to travel and visited places such as China, Turkey, Morocco and many countries in Europe, and they went on road trips all over North America. Arthur was a very creative man who enjoyed woodworking and sketching, and he loved to engage in physical activities such as jogging and weightlifting. Above all else, Arthur cherished his family and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle.
Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Simkin Centre for your care of Arthur. Your patience, compassion and understanding are greatly appreciated.
A funeral service was held in Arthur’s honour at the Chesed Shel Emes on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
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