ISAAC GOTFRIED

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

ISAAC GOTFRIED

Isaac Gotfried passed away peacefully on February 3, 2025, in his 100th year.

Isaac was predeceased by his loving wife of 68 years, Hilda (nee Goldberg) and his brother Bernard. The rest of his birth family perished in the Holocaust.

He is survived by his daughters, Irene Shapira (Gary), Susan Libby Hutton (Christopher), Marla Gaudet (Alan), and Paula Kerr (David), grandchildren, Jared, Laura, Casey (Stephen), Morgan (Marie-Michele), Evan, Callum (Sophie) and Rowan and great-grandchildren, Makenna, Jachin and Bodhi.

Isaac was very proud of the life he made for himself and his family in Winnipeg. He was a devoted family man, a good friend and a hard worker.

Isaac was a survivor. He was in several concentration camps, from ages 15-18, escaping into the woods shortly before liberation. He testified against the Nazis at the Buchenwald trials in Dachau, Germany, in 1947.

After retiring from a very successful career with London Life, he devoted his energy to educating people of all ages and backgrounds about the horrors of the Holocaust by speaking to over 25,000 people at schools, museums and conferences locally and internationally. He was interviewed by newspapers, television, documentarians and PhD candidates. His legacy has been captured on film, in print and by the Shoah Foundation. He wanted to ensure that the Holocaust was never forgotten. He ended every lecture and interview with the words “Never again.”

At the age of 92, Isaac published his memoir Lucky to Survive which sold over 1,000 copies. At Isaac’s request, all proceeds were donated to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He was very proud of the book, selling it to everybody he met, even his ambulance attendants.

Isaac loved and was loved and respected by many. He was very sociable, generous, a great storyteller, and loved telling a good joke. He was an excellent bridge player, playing at least twice a week right up to his admission to hospital. He was a very intelligent, self-educated man. He loved to travel with Hilda and spend the winters in Florida or Palm Springs.

Thank you to the Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence staff and friends who became such a huge part of his life.

In lieu of flowers, Isaac requested that donations be made to the Jewish Heritage Centre’s Holocaust Education Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.

The funeral was held on February 6, 2025. Shiva will be in the library at The Shaftesbury, 905 Shaftesbury Blvd., on Saturday, February 8 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

ISAAC GOTFRIED

Isaac Gotfried passed away peacefully on February 3, 2025, in his 100th year.
Isaac was predeceased by his loving wife of 68 years, Hilda (nee Goldberg) and his brother Bernard. The rest of his birth family perished in the Holocaust.
He is survived his daughters, Irene Shapira (Gary), Susan Libby Hutton (Christopher), Marla Gaudet (Alan), and Paula Kerr (David), grandchildren, Jared, Laura, Casey (Stephen), Morgan (Marie Michele), Evan, Callum (Sophie) and Rowan and great-grandchildren, Makenna, Jachin and Bodhi.
Isaac was very proud of the life he made for himself and his family in Winnipeg. He was a devoted family man, a good friend and a hard worker.
Isaac was a survivor. He was in several concentration camps, from ages 15-18, escaping into the woods shortly before liberation. He testified against the Nazis at the Buchenwald trials in Dachau, Germany, in 1947.
After retiring from a very successful career with London Life, he devoted his energy to educating people of all ages and backgrounds about the horrors of the Holocaust by speaking to over 25,000 people at schools, museums and conferences locally and internationally. He was interviewed by newspapers, television, documentarians, and PhD candidates. His legacy has been captured on film, in print and by the Shoah Foundation. He wanted to ensure that the Holocaust was never forgotten. He ended every lecture and interview with the words ‘Never again’.
At the age of 92, Isaac published his memoir ‘Lucky to Survive’ which sold over 1000 copies. At Isaac’s request, all proceeds were donated to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He was very proud of the book, selling it to everybody he met, even his ambulance attendants.
Isaac loved and was loved and respected by many. He was very sociable, generous, a great story-teller, and loved telling a good joke. He was an excellent bridge player, playing at least twice a week right up to his admission to hospital. He was a very intelligent, self-educated man. He loved to travel with Hilda and spend the winters in Florida or Palm Springs.
Thank you to the Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence staff and friends who became such a huge part of his life.
In lieu of flowers, Isaac requested that donations be made to the Jewish Heritage Centre’s Holocaust Education Endowment Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
The funeral will be held Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, 561 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg. It will also be live streamed. Shiva will be in the library at The Shaftesbury, 905 Shaftesbury Blvd. on Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 05, 2025, Feb 08, 2025