OSCAR "USHIE" ALLAN BLANK

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OSCAR "USHIE" ALLAN BLANK June 18, 1918-February 13, 2003 On Thursday, February 13, 2003, at the age of 84 years, Oscar Blank passed away. He is mourned by Edith, his wife of 61 years and three sons and daughters-in-law, Martin and Lana Belza, Arthur and Patti Cohen and their sons Dov and Zev, and Myles and Tricia Wallace. Oscar was predeceased by his brother, Louie. Tragically, his sister Ruthie Silver died on February 14, one day after Oscars death. Their sister Annette Lasker, is left to mourn these great losses. Dad taught us lessons in life by example. His marriage to Mom for 61 years taught us the meaning of devotion and commitment to your partner for life. Despite Moms serious health problems, Dad never left her side. He loved her with all his heart every moment for over 60 years. The most amazing thing about Dad was his ability to change and evolve as a genuinely kind, compassionate, tolerant and understanding person. Aging may have caused physical problems but his soul became more beautiful as time passed. His angelic smiling face, as he looked upon his grandsons Dov and Zev, was filled with unconditional love and acceptance. Family was the most important part of Dads life and he would regale us with stories of his mother, Rivka and father Shlomo. He told of hard times and told of good times, all with the same straightforward and honest style. Dad was totally innocent of pretense and guile, a real "straight shooter". His weekly meetings with Louie are legendary and not a day went by that he didnt speak with or visit Ruthie and Annette. Our aunts, uncles, and cousins have been a tremendous source of strength and support in our time of mourning. We have a very powerful family when it comes to love, kindness and the performance of good deeds. We have been the benefactors and we wish to express our gratitude. Dad was known as "Little" Oscar. Though only 55" and 135 lbs., he was a star football player for the YMHA. He was an athlete at St. Johns Tech where he came first in many track events. Dad worked most of his life in the Lumber and Construction business as company manager with Portage Lumber and later with Fuji Construction. His reputation for honesty and integrity in business is attested to by the many friends and satisfied customers that were amassed over the years. His handshake was his word. At the end of his working life, he was treated with great respect by the owners of Fuji construction and our family will never forget their humanity. Everyone who was fortunate to meet Dad found him to be a warm, friendly, concerned and optimistic person. Even with all the challenges that he had in his personal life with Mom, he never forgot to visit an old friend in need or a sick family member. Funeral services took place at the Chesed Shel Emes with a moving eulogy by Rabbi Perez Weizman, a lantzman. Dad was a long-time friend of Rabbi Weizman and this was evidenced by his impassioned words. Our family wishes to extend to Rabbi Weizman our heartfelt thanks and a long and healthy life to a hundred-un-tsvanzig. We thank our pallbearers, Dan Hryniuk, Don McIntosh, Richard Altman, Dov Blank, Zev Blank, and Brian Lecker for accepting this honour. Life without Dad has been very difficult but we are all fortunate to have had a father who loved us so much.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 29, 2003