SHEILA RABINOVITCH

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SHEILA RABINOVITCH July 10, 1914 - October 2, 2012 Compassionate, independent, and feisty, a woman ahead of her time in her ambitions and ideas, Sheila Rabinovitch passed away this week at the age of 98. Sheila was the devoted wife, for 55 years, of the late Milton Rabinovitch. She was the loving mother of David (Marsha Karr), Celia, and Sandra (Uri Sagman), grandmother of Zara Rabinovitch and Gabriel, Reuben and Nathaniel Sagman. Predeceased by her beloved parents Cecelia and Samuel Cohen and sisters and brothers Beatrice Arkin, Eleanor Robinson Mogle, Lawrence Cohen, Sidney Cohen, and Giela Rosen Blanke. Sheila was born July 10, 1914, the youngest of six children. Her childhood was spent in Canora, SK, where her father had established the Canora Hotel in 1910. Her ancestors had come to Manitoba in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Sheila was proud of her family's pioneering heritage and their contributions to Winnipeg and Jewish life, including being among the founders of the Congregation Shaarey Zedek. She shared stories of her paternal grandfather, Sidney Diner, who was a sergeant with General Middleton and later built the Nugget Hotel in downtown Winnipeg after three successful trips to the Klondike gold rush. In 1926 the Cohen family moved from Canora to Winnipeg, where Sheila's father built the Brooklands Hotel. It became the hub for lively extended family gatherings during the Great Depression. She graduated in 1932 from Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, where she edited and wrote for the yearbook and was president of her class. She valued the world of ideas and was keen to make a contribution. She attended the University of Manitoba and during the Second World War moved to Toronto to work as a journalist. She was promoted to department editor on Industrial Canada magazine, a breakthrough for a woman in that era. She returned to Winnipeg in 1946, where she met and married Milton Rabinovitch, moving with him to his hometown of Morden, MB. During their 13 years together there, the city girl embraced country life through her community involvement in the Morden Little Theatre and the Order of the Eastern Star. In Morden she and Milton raised a son and twin daughters. Relocating to Winnipeg in 1959, she enjoyed relationships with a wide circle of friends new and old. After joining the Women's Committee of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, she became active as an art educator in the schools. In 1968 she hosted artists and critics from across North America as chair of the Eleventh Winnipeg Show. Sheila became an art consultant, advocating for Canadian artists and promoting their work. She was also for many years a popular art teacher for the Winnipeg School Division. In the early 1970s she started a new career as a writer-broadcaster for CBC Radio, interviewing prominent figures including Virginia Satir, Susan Sontag, Judy Chicago and Hans Selye. She wrote and produced doc-umentaries on historic Winnipeg personalities such as Ralph Connor, Judge Lewis Stubbs, and John MacAulay. Her wide-ranging documentary subjects include a history of Manitoba small-town newspapers, bridge as an obsession, women and aging, and the ethnic recording industry in Canada. Among other honours, she was awarded first prize by the Media Club of Canada for her documentary Cora Hind - Woman of the West and was nominated for an ACTRA Award for her documentary on Ralph Connor. Her extensive body of work can be found at the University of Manitoba Archive. Sheila was devoted to her children and proud of their accomplishments. The birth of grandchildren brought new delight to her and Milton. She remained engaged and full of opinion. Sheila passed away peacefully on October 2, 2012. The family is grateful to Dr. Ted St. Godard and Dr. Robin McClure, and the staff of Riverview Palliative Care Hospital, for their compassionate care of Sheila during her final days. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Sheila's devoted care givers, including Vilma Arriola, Margie Marquez, Lisa Prado, Elizabeth Tesfashun, Connie Andrade, and most especially Benilda Leonor. A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 5, 1:00 p.m., at Shaarey Zedek synagogue. Shiva will be held at 898 Borebank Street. If desired, donations in Sheila's memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (Manitoba branch).

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 04, 2012