NAOMI SILVER

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NAOMI SILVER Naomi Silver passed away September 15, 2018, at age 95, peacefully in her sleep in the condominium where she lived for 35 years - just as she had planned. Naomi was predeceased by her parents, Bert and Lillian Bortnick, and her husband Eddie. Left to miss her are her children, John (Marla), Bob (Kim), Andrea (Carlos) and Michael (Katherine); her grandchildren, Elias and Lucas, Matthew (Janelle), Zack (Nikita), Samara (Jordan), Eston, Brodie (Jesse), Dylan; and her great-grandchildren, Kylie, Zev and Ozzie. Naomi attended St. John's High School and the University of Manitoba. Growing up she led an active social life with her claim to fame being that she dated Monty Hall until her father decided that he was not good enough for her. She married the love of her life Edwin Silver and with him created a family, caring for a household with four young children. They led a rich and active social life that included Glendale, summers at Clear Lake and travel to warmer climes. Naomi was not your stereotypical Jewish Mother. She was not a marvellous cook especially not famous for her brisket. Neither judgment nor guilt had a place in her view of the world. She was outgoing, stylish and vivacious - never leaving the house without being impeccably dressed and with every strand of hair and make-up precisely in place. She was smart and she was also considerate, kind and a good listener with a sharp sense of humour. All of her nieces and nephews, as well as her children's friends, went to Auntie Naomi or Mrs. S for conversation and advice, knowing they would receive common sense and straight forward discussion. While sometimes baffled upon returning home to find their friends deep in conversation with their mother, her children appreciate that they grew up to view the world without judgment or prejudice, to know the value of right and wrong, and to listen and give to others. Everything changed when at age 50, her Eddie suddenly died leaving her with two teenaged children still at home. She had to learn to raise a teenage son and daughter by herself, how to manage her own finances and to find her own way in the world. This she did, not without overcoming several personal and medical issues along the way. She turned her focus to duplicate bridge where she became a Life Master attending tournaments throughout Canada and the U.S. and forging a whole new set of close and genuine friends. To her own surprise, Naomi became the Matriarch of the Silver family and the glue that held four children and their partners together. She wintered in Hawaii with part of her time spent with her new friends on the beach at Waikiki and the rest of her time bonding with her children and grandchildren, creating new and funny stories in the big house on the beach in Kailua. She loved to tell stories, about herself, about her children, about her relationship with her children - always with humour, usually self-deprecating and mostly exaggerated to make a good story. Family dinners and holiday celebrations were often raucous events with everyone trading tales and good natured insults with Naomi throwing in the occasional blue word where she thought particularly appropriate. Newcomers to the table were often quite aghast until they realized how much fun everyone was having. Every Sunday Naomi visited each of her children for coffee and caught up on their family's happenings. When she became unable to do so due to deteriorating health, her children gathered at her condo each Sunday, until the very last Sunday, to catch her up on each other's families. To everyone who knew her, Naomi was intelligent, kind, considerate, generous, feisty, tough; a force with which to be reckoned. She was always there for each of her children, claiming that she was not selfless, rather selfishly doing whatever she wanted, cancelling bridge games to spend time with grandchildren. She lived her life on her own terms, and left on her own terms. We will miss her dearly. The family would especially like to give heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Gloria Kiss, Naomi's helper and best friend of more than 30 years and the primary caregiver that kept her going for the past few difficult years. We also thank Tina, Mukai and Cherry for the loving care they provided over those same past few years. Thanks to the W.R.H.A. Palliative Care nurses and doctors who did their best to keep our mother comfortable so that she was able to be with us for more than year past the "Best Before" she had been given by the physicians of the hospital. A graveside ceremony followed by a reception at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue was held September 18, 2018. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Canadian Cancer Foundation/Breast Cancer Division.
Publish Date: Sep 29, 2018

NAOMI SILVER Naomi Silver passed away peacefully on September 15, 2018 in her 95th year. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 18, graveside at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery, 230 Armstrong Avenue, with a reception to follow at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, 561 Wellington Crescent. Longer obituary to follow.

Publish Date: Sep 17, 2018

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 17, 2018, Sep 29, 2018