SHEILA MARILYN (KAPITZ) WEINER

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SHEILA MARILYN (KAPITZ) WEINER On December 17, 2013, Sheila passed away unexpectedly, a short time before she was to be released from Victoria General Hospital. She was happy to be coming home after her lengthy hospital stay. Her husband Chuck; her children Danny, Myles and Jackie; and her brother Arnold will miss her very much. Her cousin Sharon Saper, sister-in-law Doreen Kapitz and daughter-in-law Irina Weiner will also miss Sheila immensely. Sheila's kindness, quiet strength and ability to lift everyone's spirits was one-of-a-kind. It's no surprise that her numerous extended family and friends have also shown an outpouring of sadness about her passing. She was 70. Sheila was always smiling and telling everyone "everything is fine," even when in pain from complications of Type 2 diabetes, a condition she had struggled with for decades. She was born in Winnipeg and grew up on Machray Avenue in the city's North End. In her early adulthood, Sheila met Chuck at a B'nai Brith event and vowed that she would marry him. She did. "She ended up calling me and that was it," says Chuck, who could never get enough of Sheila's Swedish meatballs, Belgian waffles, shmoo tortes and lemon pies. Chuck and Sheila proceeded to raise three children in their Campbell Street home, a place filled with love. "She was always there when I was coming home from school or work," says her oldest son Myles, who recalls cuddling with his mom in bed while practicing prayers for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. "She was easy to talk to." Hugs and kisses often took the form of good cooking. Sheila was "in her glory" when making meals for her family and friends. "It was her way of expressing love to others", says Chuck, who was a good caregiver to his wife, always making sure she had the dose of glucose she needed when her blood sugar levels dropped - a side-effect of her diabetes medication. Sheila was known for her late-night kitchen sessions, often making meals for her youngest son Danny when he returned home from a night on the town. The pair would sit down over the meal - even at 2:00 a.m. - and have meaningful conversations. "That's when we connected the best. We had the best talks," says Danny. When Danny moved away to Calgary and would come back home to visit, Sheila always made sure he was well fed. "She would be up until 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the morning baking cookies." Sheila's kids' friends were always welcome in the Weiner home - as was anyone who needed a meal. She relished her summers at Winnipeg Beach with Chuck and the kids. Socializing - visiting family and friends at the lake - gave her joy. Her biggest sources of joy were her grandchildren. Sheila got her wish to be a "bubbie" when her grandson Aden, 10, was born. She loved him profoundly. The pair would often spend time in her kitchen where they would make chocolate chip cookies together. More recently, she travelled to Calgary to meet her granddaughter, Avielle, seven months. She loved that baby and looked forward to getting to know her in the years to come. Sheila's funeral took place Thursday, December 19 at Chapel Lawn. She was buried at Temple Shalom's Jewish area of Chapel Lawn. Pallbearers were Lyle Grosney, Sean Jacob, Alan Margolese, Ben Margolese, Myles Shatsky and Yehuda Tcherni. Ron Coley and Michael Sersun were honourary pallbearers. Her family takes comfort in knowing that she is now at peace and free of pain. A fund has been set up with the Canadian Diabetes Association, Manitoba Chapter in Sheila's name. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the fund. (Log onto www.diabetes.ca or phone 204-925-3800). www.chapellawn.ca 885-9715

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 28, 2013