HARRY REISS

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HARRY REISS

Born: June 7, 1930

Date of Passing: July 3, 2023

On Monday, July 3, 2023, at home, after a short illness, Harry Reiss passed away at the age of 93. He was the beloved husband of 55 years to Vicky Reiss (Shumsky), who predeceased him, as did his parents, Ira and Raizel Reiss.

He is survived by his children, Jeffrey, wife Marlis, grandchildren, Sheena, Anita, and Leanna; Alan; and Ken, wife Sonya, grandchildren, Chloe, Noah, and Charlie; younger siblings, Sam Reiss, Edward Reiss, and Ida Alpern; and his partner Honey Kowall.



Harry was born in Poland and escaped at age nine with his immediate family due to the growing threat of war. In the fall of 1939, the family settled in rural Saskatchewan to become farmers. At age 17, Harry needed to leave school to find work and arrived in Winnipeg, working 70-hour weeks in a fur coat factory. In 1951, he went to New York City where he undertook formal training to become a furrier. Upon his return to Winnipeg, Harry started his own business, enlisting his father, uncle, and brother Sam into the venture. Over the years, the business expanded with Harry and his partner Sam, developing an extremely successful enterprise, becoming the largest furrier business in Western Canada, and renowned for their high-end garments. Subsequently, Harry had evolved the business into additionally carrying other outerwear and fine fashions, before further expanding into the area of property management, acquiring a number of downtown Winnipeg buildings and parking lots. He continued with property management after the closing of his retail operations in 2008 and “semi-retiring” at nearly 80 years of age.



Harry started to date Vicky in 1956, with them marrying the following year. They enjoyed many happy years together, socializing with family and friends, and in later years looking forward to their winter vacations in Florida. Tragically, Vicky passed away after a brief illness in 2012, at the age of only 73. Fortunately for Harry, over the passage of years he developed a close relationship with Honey Kowall, leading to the two of them ultimately living together, and with him being warmly accepted into the Kowall family.



The family wishes to extend their gratitude for the compassionate care given to Harry by the healthcare aides who assisted him in his later days, as well as the longstanding service of Judy Hansen.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 28, 2023