TILLIE SHAPIRO (ABRAMOVITCH)

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TILLIE SHAPIRO (nee ABRAMOVITCH) Tillie Shapiro (nee Abramovitch) died peacefully at the Sharon Home on the evening of November 28, 2007, surrounded by her beloved family. Tillie was born in Montreal to Sonia and Louis Abramovitch, who emigrated from the Ukraine. In 1940, she married Myer Shapiro, eloping with him to his native Winnipeg. As Myer would say, We said we were going to see the movie, Gone with the Wind, and we were gone with the wind . They returned to Montreal for several years and moved to Winnipeg for good in 1950, just in time for the flood. Tillie was a vibrant individual who was very passionate about her family and friends, the world of politics, and much else. She was an avid sportswoman who skied in her youth, met her husband on a tennis court, loved to golf competitively, and played bridge seriously. She very much enjoyed studying the stock market, and attending theatre, symphony, lectures and services at synagogue. She worked as a bookkeeper as a young woman, but her primary focus for many years was raising her family. As her children got older, she often worked alongside her husband, Myer. His untimely death in 1971 was a great loss to her. Tillie was very active in charitable work, notably in Hadassah-WIZO, in which she served as an energetic president of the Brandeis chapter for several years. She approached her fundraising efforts with the same passion, intellect and total commitment that characterized so much of the rest of her life. Her greatest passion was her family. She dearly loved her son Martin and daughter-in-law Barbara Vickrey of Los Angeles and their children Matthew and Daniel, and her daughter, Laurie and husband Rick Lee of Winnipeg and their children Michael and Amy (and Amy's partner, Matt). She took enormous pride in all of their accomplishments. She was very devoted to her siblings and always took great interest in the well-being of her many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, her brother, Harry Abramovitch, sisters Lillian Taylor and Joan Abbey, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Ethel and Vita Abramovitch, Jack and Haim Shapiro, Lil and Harry Singer, Min and Fred Donner, and nephew Joel Shapiro. In addition to her children and grandchildren, and nieces and nephews and their families, she is survived by her brother, Sam Abramovitch, and his wife Michele Drouin, and sisters-in-law Frances Shapiro and Fran Lewis. During the last 10 years, she underwent several episodes of treatment for cancer. She overcame these challenges and emerged with a renewed zest for life and a belief that if you think positively, positive things will happen. She shared this perspective with many others facing serious illnesses. She often remarked on how fortunate she had been in life, and wished that all could be blessed with her longevity, her good health and her fulfilling experiences. She cared about making the world a better place, and did what she could to accomplish that, one relationship at a time. She will be missed. The family would like to thank Drs. Rubinger and St. John, her care providers, especially Norma, Virginia, Priscilla and Cathy, and the staffs of CancerCare Manitoba, Riverview Health Centre and the Sharon Home for their compassionate care and devotion. Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, December 2 at 12:30 p.m. at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, 561 Wellington Crescent. In lieu of flowers, the family encourage that contributions be made to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Suite 1560- 201 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3B 3K6.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 01, 2007