HARRY (HERSCHEL) KARP

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HARRY (HERSCHEL) KARP Harry (Herschel) Karp died peacefully on April 18, 2005 at the Victoria Hospital. He was predeceased by his wife Celia in 2001 and is survived by sons, Morris (Marcia) and Carl (Charlotte); brothers, Noah (Lala) and Motel (Pola) and sister-in-law Tunia (Max) Mayers; and grandchildren, Colin, Liam, Evan, Molly and Lucy. His peaceful death was offset by a sometimes-difficult life. Born into a poor family in small town Poland, his father, a carpenter, persuaded him to forgo carpentry, and train instead as a barber, where at least business was steadier. But that career was cut short with the German invasion of Poland and by the life of a Jew escaping eastward, where he survived any way he could. The family he left behind in Poland was consumed by the Holocaust. After the war he met Celia in a displaced persons camp in Germany, and eventually immigrated to Canada via Israel and Italy. They arrived in Winnipeg in 1951 and began a new life that held the promise of safety. Harry and Celia started their family, helped in the emigration of his brothers and their families from Russia and Israel, and finally was able to resume his craft at The Golden Gate Barber Shop on Ellice Ave. Many years later he opened his own shop at the Royal Alex hotel, before finally ending his career at the Kenaston barracks, where cutting soldiers hair gave him the security his father had once wished for him - the army provided a steady clientele. But it was family that fed and sustained Harry: his brothers, Noah and Motel, their wives and children and his own family became the fabric of his life. In a community of other survivors, they ate, drank, played cards and celebrated the life they'd salvaged in the simplest of ways. Towards the end of his career when the fear of losing everything finally left them, Harry and Celia joined a new community. During their winters in Florida, they made friends whose values were similarly shaped and whose enjoyment invariably revolved around eating and playing cards. And at home the light in Harry's eyes could always be rekindled by the sight of his children and grandchildren in whose company he spent his last few days. A graveside service will be held at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery on Thursday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow at 845 Brock St. The family thanks the staff of the Victoria Hospital for their kindness and for making his last days comfortable.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 20, 2005