MORRIS BERENHAUT

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MORRIS BERENHAUT July 5, 1919 February 27, 2011 It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Morris Berenhaut on Sunday, February 27, 2011. Our dad, our zaida, passed away with his children by his side after a brief battle with pneumonia. Left to cherish Morris's memory are his children, Abe (Toni) Berenhaut, Lillian Saunders, Robert (Carol) Berenhaut and Adelle (Sheldon) Globerman; his grandchildren Ken (Cindy), Arlene (Jeff), Kevin, Melissa (Kevin), Connie (Troy), Jennifer, Elissa (Dan), Mark (Christine), Shawn (Tracey), Neil (Liz), Jamie (Jess), Jason and his great-grandchildren, Michael, Madison, Brett, Elizabeth, Sarah, Isabel, Preston, Abigayle, Taylor, and Maddox. He also leaves to mourn his surviving brother Joe (Mashka) as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Morris was predeceased by his wife Menicha, his parents, his sister Shaendel (Shya) and brother Simon. Born in Poland, Morris acquired his keen business sense at the age of 13. In 1937 he married Menicha Shleifer. In 1940 the Germans were occupying Poland so Morris and his family headed east to Russia. Once in Russia all foreigners were sent to Siberian labour camps. In 1941 their son Abe was born in Siberia. Shortly after the war ended, Lily Silverman, Menicha's sister in Winnipeg, paid the Russian Government $2,500 per person for the release of Morris and his family. The family arrived in Germany and in 1947 their daughter Lillian was born. In 1948, Morris, Menicha, Abe and Lillian immigrated to Canada. Robert was born shortly after in Winnipeg and Adelle was born in 1953. After arriving in Winnipeg Morris continued to work hard with very little consideration to time. After working at many jobs as a helper he finally got his first steady job with D. E. Smith Sons where he spent his entire day busting up cast iron boilers. In the evenings and weekends he would take his handcrafted wagon and go down back lanes collecting scrap metal. In 1961 Morris, his brother Joe and friend, Jack Choslovsky, formed McPhillips Salvage. In 1976 Jack retired due to age and health issues. Despite having very little education and poor English skills Morris and his brother Joe built a successful business. Morris' uncanny ability to communicate in a number of foreign languages and his sense of humour was the key to success. Many of his customers would repeatedly return only because it was the one place where they could speak their language of choice and be understood. In addition, customers of McPhillips Salvage were astonished by Morris' ability to tell you where every piece of inventory was located. In 1989, Morris lost his wife, Menicha, of 52 years. A couple of years later, Morris lost a kidney to cancer but continued to work. In 2005, at the age of 86, Morris reluctantly liquidated McPhillips Salvage. Because of his demanding work ethic Morris had very few hobbies. The only thing that brought him any enjoyment was occasional visits to a casino. In 2008, Morris became seriously ill but surprised many doctors and pulled through. In 2009 he took up residence at Holy Family Nursing Home. Morris always had a story to tell his grandchildren. It was usually the same story they had heard before, but whether it was the first time or the hundredth time they always listened with renewed excitement. His smile always lit up the room, his eyes always sparkled, and he had a very compelling way of making you feel special. Pallbearers were Mark, Shawn and Neil Fishman, Kevin and Melissa Trombo and Dan Klassen. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. Donations can be made to the Morris/Menicha Berenhaut memorial fund at Cancer Care in memory of this great man.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 12, 2011