SYDNEY GURVEY

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SYDNEY GURVEY April 8, 1918 - January 23, 2010 Suddenly, but peacefully, on January 23, 2010, Syd passed away at Seven Oaks Hospital. He resided in his family home of 46 years to his last days. Syd will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife, Maxine; by his children, Ariel Gurvey and David Gurvey (Wendy); and by his treasured grandchildren, Jonathan, Samantha, Joshua and Michael. He is also survived by his brother Gerry (Bunny) and his sister-in-law Evelyn. He was predeceased by his parents, Aaron and Rivka Raizel Gurevitch, (née Penn); and his brothers, Morris and Harry. Syd lived in Winnipeg his entire 91 plus years. He graduated from Pharmacy School and became a licenced pharmacist in 1940, and in 1948 he opened Gurveys Pharmacy on Henderson Highway. Syd operated his store until 1974, serving the community with generosity and kindness. He then worked at Bigelow's Pharmacy for a short time prior to moving to Shoppers Drug Mart, 297 Portage Avenue. From there he moved to Howie's on Marion Street which became Shoppers Drug Mart. He loved working and talking with the people who came into the store, and enjoyed a 90th birthday celebration at work during one of his last shifts. Shortly after that much appreciated acknowledgement, Syd's kidneys failed, and on dialysis, he no longer had energy for a workday. He was a devoted pharmacist who took very seriously the profession of advice and counsel to patients in need. He was very proud of the advances the profession has taken. When he started practicing pharmacy, alcohol and cocaine were dispensed and there were no antibiotics or insulin. He constantly read and studied journals and was proud to keep his professional knowledge current through the required credits of study needed each year to renew his license through 2008. Syd enjoyed learning new things, and discussed articles from magazines such as The Economist until the end of his life. He especially enjoyed time at West Hawk Lake, where he cottaged since 1956, first as a bachelor, then precious time spent with his family. It was at the Lake where he taught his children many skills in building and fixing things, as well as encouraging a love of nature. Syd had a great sense of humour and loved to tell a story. He lived through incredible changes, from horse drawn wagons being pulled down the street and wood stove heated homes, to cable TV, computers and cell phones. Syd was a man who always had a kind word to say about everyone, and would help others in need as he could. He counseled and taught many, and later in life, was a mentor to young pharmacists. He loved his children, his wife of 48 years, and his grandchildren immensely. We will greatly miss our husband, father, father-in-law and Zaida. We want to thank all of the doctors and nurses who took excellent care of Syd through his dialysis sessions at St. Boniface, and his hospital stays there and at Seven Oaks. We especially want to thank Drs. Mauro Verrelli, Sean Armstrong and Robert Choptianny who practice their profession with compassion for their patients and also to Drs. Trevor Lee and David Hochman who were a great help. Thanks also to Dale Crawford of Shoppers Drug Mart who enabled Syd to continue in his beloved Profession. The funeral service was held at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on January 26, 2010 with Rabbi Pinsker officiating. A loving eulogy was presented by Ariel and David. Pallbearers were Amir Barlyko, Lindsay Berger, Avrom Charach, Dale Crawford, Jeff Itzkow and Chuck Simundson, and Honorary Pallbearer was Norbert Pachet. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The St. Boniface General Hospital Foundation for use by the Nephrology Department's research.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 30, 2010