RACHELLE (SHELLEY) SHORE

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RACHELLE (SHELLEY) SHORE Peacefully at St. Boniface Hospital on June 30, 2007, aged 66 years. She was predeceased by her parents, Leon and Toni Karp. She is greatly missed by her husband Izzy; daughters, Marilyn (Roberto), Carla (Glen), Sheryl (Marc); grandchildren, Emilia, Silvio, Ethan, Kevin, Lila and Noa; by her brother Ian Karp (Janet) and nephews, David and Steven, and many cousins and numerous friends. Rachelle was born May 9, 1941, in Lemberg, Poland, her mother, a teacher and her father, a tailor. Rachelle arrived in Canada with her parents in 1948. She and Izzy were married in 1962. Rachelle was a Social Worker with Winnipeg Child and Family Services and had a wonderful relationship with fellow workers and clients. She was an avid gardener and at one time tended to 55 plants in her home in addition to a vegetable and flower garden. She loved to sing, dance and act and the theatre was her natural home. She appeared in many plays, musicals, movies, commercials, and was a drama teacher. She liked to take chances, to gamble for fun, to enter contests. She loved hot pink and loved food, especially anything chocolate. She was physically active, walking, cycling, and swimming. She always said the best time of her life was when she was at home with her three little girls. She was very creative and loved doing arts and crafts, baking cookies and elaborate birthday cakes. She was able to relive this time with her grandchildren, the greatest joy in her life. Like her children, her eyniklekh were her pride and priority, and she cherished her time with them. She was especially delighted to help her daughters give birth to her three youngest grandchildren. She was proud to be their doula, and her presence and support were invaluable to Marilyn and Sheryl. Rachelle dominated our family with her unbounded love, wisdom, concern, nurturing, and her passion, generosity, energy, charisma and inspiration. She always put everyone's needs before her own, sometimes to her detriment, but she was proud of who she was and instilled that pride of self, family and Jewish culture in her daughters. She was a fierce advocate for justice in any situation and her moral courage was exemplary. She was not afraid to speak out, to say what she thought, but she also a wonderful listener and cared for people, those close to her as well as strangers. When her mother became ill with Alzheimer's, she devoted herself to her care. Rachelle visited her every day and became a fixture at the nursing home, singing her favourite Yiddish songs. She taught us through her actions, to honour and respect our parents, the elderly, and how to be a mentch. Rachelle was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer five and one half years ago. She courageously fought the disease through 52 cycles of chemotherapy with eight different drugs, and 25 radiation treatments. Side effects were generally minor and she and Izzy travelled extensively throughout this time visiting grandchildren in Vancouver and Montreal, winter vacations in Mexico with the children and grandchildren, to Israel to reunite with her three cousins and their families, and bi-annual trips to New York to attend Broadway theatre. Everywhere she went she met up with an old friend, and she never left a place without not making a new one. Everyone who knew her was touched by her vitality. Her physical strength and strength of character is legendary. She lived with cancer like she had always lived, never letting anything pass her by, taking advantage of everything life had to offer. She was the last one to leave a party, only after talking with everyone there. She danced everyone under the table and didn't stop when the music was over. When her body finally failed her, she gathered her family, and passed away peacefully, with a smile on her face. We wish to thank the staff at CancerCare Manitoba and St. Boniface ward B3 and especially Dr. Robert Lotocki and chemotherapy nurse Karen Braun. Funeral services were held on July 4, 2007, at the Chesed Shel Emes. Daughter Sheryl Shore spoke on behalf of the family. Cantor Gerry Daien officiated and burial was at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. Pallbearers were Rube Helman, Mark Prober, David Karp, Steven Karp, Roberto Dominguez and Marc Kingsley-Poole. Donations in her memory may be made to Ovarian Cancer Canada, 101145 Front St. East, Toronto M5A 1E3. (www.ovariancanada.org 1-877-413-7970) or to the charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 17, 2007