MAURENE COHEN

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MAURENE COHEN

Maurene was, by nature, a happy, caring person. She was always ready to help no matter the cause or the individual, with a smile on her face. She was born on May 4, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the only child of Max and Sylvia Levinsohn.

Maurene grew up in a home filled with Jewish values and the spirit of volunteerism. Both of her parents were active in many causes in Minneapolis and she followed in their footsteps. Maurene was especially proud of her involvement with Hillel, The Jewish Students Organization at the University of Minnesota, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Sociology and Social Work. One of the highlights of her involvement with Hillel was when she was asked to be an assistant to Abraham Joshua Heschel, the famous Jewish philosopher.

The opposite of good is not evil,

The opposite of good, is indifference.

Morally speaking,

there is no limit to the concern

One must feel for the suffering

of human beings;

That indifference to evil

is worse than evil itself;

That in a free society, some are guilty,

But all are responsible.

Our goal is to live life in radical amazement;

Get up in the morning and look at the world

In a way that takes nothing for granted.

Everything is phenomenal,

everything is incredible,

Never treat life casually.

To be spiritual is to be amazed.

A.J. Heschel

In August of 1959, Maurene participated in a Hillel Camp in Starlight, Pennsylvania, which was a turning point in her life. She met and became close friends with a group of Winnipeggers, who were also attending this camp. One of this group, Jerry Cohen, is a dear friend to the person whom she would marry, and who would bring her to Winnipeg - David. Maurene and David married on August 20, 1961 and a new chapter of Maurene's life began.

In the early years of the marriage, Maurene worked for Child and Family Services. When the children started coming, Eli (1963), Lisa (1965), and Aaron (1969), Maurene became a stay-at-home mom, all the while immersing herself in the volunteer world. Over the many years of life in Winnipeg, Maurene volunteered for many causes - National Council of Jewish Women - Play Reading Group, Talmud Torah and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate PTA, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Combined Jewish Appeal, Folklorama - The Israel Pavilion, The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba Scholarship Committee.

After being involved in the business world for a number of years, Maurene began her career at Jewish Child and Family Service, which was the highlight of her work experiences, and which she truly loved. She had a career of 20 years, primarily as the Coordinator of Volunteer Services from 1984 to 2004. This opportunity allowed her to interact with people of all ages to match volunteers, big brothers and big sisters, and which allowed her to make a difference in the lives that she touched.

Maurene was a good friend to all and valued all these wonderful relationships. A highlight of her life in Winnipeg was being a part of "The Bridge Group" for over 50 years.

Maurene lived a life of positive energy, in spite of many personal tragedies, primarily the loss of our daughter Lisa, in 1989. This was devastating to everyone who knew and loved Lisa. This did not deter her from moving forward to continue to contribute back to the community she loved dearly. In 2006, Maurene became a proud Canadian, to go along with her being a proud American.

There are many facets to Maurene's life, especially how she cared for others, and how she touched people, and how they touched her. In the last two years, Maurene became involved with tutoring a new immigrant to Canada and who became a dear friend. She loved this experience, and made a difference, which is what she did all her life.

The talk of health care in Canada is always a topic of significance. The most important aspect of this topic is the human touch - the people who make the system work. Maurene was truly touched by many outstanding individuals in her health journey over the past six and a half years. First and foremost, we wish to thank Dr. Erin Dean and her most dedicated team at CancerCare Manitoba. Dr Dean not only counselled our family throughout this journey, but did so in a caring and compassionate manner, and became a friend. When Maurene recently took ill, she spent a period of time at the Grace Hospital. We wish to thank all the individuals who assisted her to bring her health back to a reasonable level considering all her health issues. And finally, we wish to thank Alanna Kull and all the dedicated staff at the Simkin Centre where Maurene spent the last two months of her life. Alanna and all the staff, especially on Simkin 2 South, made this final chapter more meaningful to us all with their compassion and understanding of who Maurene was, and what was important to her and to our family. Our family will be forever grateful to all these outstanding individuals.

Maurene passed away on March 6, 2017. Her funeral was at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on March 8, 2017. The family wishes to thank Rabbi Alan Green for his touching eulogy. The family also wishes to thank the pallbearers - Pam Becker, Sheppy Coodin, Cara Kroft, Michael Ritter, Stu Slayen and Ali Zentner.

Maurene is survived by her husband David, sons Eli, and Aaron (Meghan), grandchildren, David, Naomi and Ma'ayan, the Kerem family in Jerusalem, Israel, and many dear relatives and friends.

Should anyone wish to honour Maurene's life of service, contributions would be appreciated at Jewish Child and Family Service, The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba - Lisa Cohen Fund, or a charity of your choice.

May God bless you with discomfort,

Discomfort at easy answers, half truths,

And superficial relationships,

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger.

Anger at injustice, oppression

And exploitation of people,

So that you may work

For justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears.

Tears to shed for those who suffer

From pain, rejection, starvation and war,

So that you may reach out your hand

To comfort them and

turn away their pain in to joy.

May God bless you with foolishness,

Enough foolishness to believe

That you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do

What others claim cannot be done.

And may the blessing of God

Be with you for now and evermore.

Publish Date: Mar 18, 2017

MAURENE COHEN

Maurene, beloved wife of David, passed away on Monday, March 6, 2017.

Funeral service will be held at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, 561 Wellington Crescent on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 12:00 noon.

Longer obituary to follow.

Publish Date: Mar 8, 2017

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 18, 2017