SAM GUNN

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SAM GUNN On Wednesday, September 7, 2005, Sam Gunn, aged 82 years old, passed away. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Irene; father and mother, Charles and Pearl; father and mother-in-law, Benjamin and Passy Moscovitch; brothers and sisters-in-law, Laura and David Rosen, Sidney and Mina Moss, Norman Moss, Esther and Rueben Herscovitch, Evelyn and Philip Silver, David Steindel and Jack Gutkin. Sam will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Brenda Shiffman; granddaughter Liora Shiffman; sisters, Lilian (Cecil) Yan, Clara (Lou) Bernstein, Sandra (Harold) Rubin; sisters-in-law, Hannah Steindel, Ruth Gutkin and Evelyn Golden as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. As a teenager, Sam did not wait to be drafted into the army; he enlisted himself into the Canadian Armed Forces and went overseas to help represent his country in the Second World War. After surviving a close brush with death, Sam received his discharge and returned back to Canada. He experimented with various occupations but found his calling in the livestock business when he went to help out his father. Together they bought and sold cattle as well as having a farm in Kirkella, MB. When his father passed away, Sam carried on in his father's footsteps. Eventually he gave up the farm but continued to be a livestock dealer to his dying day. His name was highly respected in the industry and that was something that made him very proud. Sam was a quiet and gentle man and always there to help. He didn't have as many years as he would have liked with Irene. They truly loved each other and that showed in their home. Sam wanted to be involved in Brenda's life as she was growing up but being out of the city for most of the week for his cattle business didn't allow too much of that. So, when his granddaughter Liora was born, he couldn't have been happier. It gave him a chance to be a part of some of the things he missed out on. He tried to take in as much as he could with her - anything from watching her swimming class, to being at her dance recital or Pesach sedars at school. He was always volunteering to 'babysit' Liora. They spent a lot of time together. Liora and her Zaida had a very special bond - she was his doll. Sam looked forward to going to the Viscount Gort Hotel every second Wednesday for lunch with the 'club' - men who were his childhood friends. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion - General Monash branch, the Jewish War Veterans, and a regular congregant at Congregation Etz Chayim (Rosh Pina Synagogue). Funeral services were held at Congregation Etz Chayim on Thursday, September 8, 2005 with interment at the Rosh Pina Memorial Park. The service was officiated by Rabbi Henry Balzer and Cantorial Soloist Tracy Kasner-Graves. Besides a letter read by the Rabbi that Brenda had written about her father, a very touching eulogy was given by Liora. Pallbearers were Martin Herscovitch, Charles Rubin, Charles Bernstein, Gary Yan, Danny Yan and Brian Saiko. Thank you to all the home care nurses and workers for the care, kindness and friendship over the last few years, all Sam's doctors and their staff as well as the nurses and aids who cared for Sam at Seven Oaks Hospital. Donations in Sam's memory can be made to the charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 01, 2005