In Loving Memory of My Mother, Nellie

It's been a while since I last posted on this blog. For decades, I've shared stories about my Mom with my students and friends, both current and former. I often highlight how she was an accepting person who loved all members of our multicultural family. This is an important lesson to embrace in these challenging times.

I want to share how extraordinary, inspiring, and remarkable she was, leaving behind unforgettable memories and wise guidance. The last time I wrote about her was on her 90th birthday.

My mother Nellie left this world on December 1, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of love and cherished memories. Our hearts are grateful for the 103 years she blessed our lives.

Our mother passed peacefully in her home. Nellie was predeceased in 2000 by our father, her beloved husband Morris of 56 years. Sadly, she was predeceased by my eldest sister Shelley in 2019 and my brother in-law Robert (Bob) in 2015. 

My father, Morris, shared his love for our mother with admiration and devotion. In their early years, he met Nellie in the neighbourhood and was smitten. He pursued her with gestures such as helping hold her eyeglasses during local plays. Our mother recited poetry and was an actress in community and high school productions in her early years. She didn’t know of Morris’s romantic interest until he took her sister home from playing tennis. Finally, an introduction was made, and dating began, as the story goes. 

They were married after a short courtship of 3 weeks. The connection they had was undeniable. They were renowned for their shared love of dancing, always taking to the floor and moving together with extraordinary elegance and seemingly effortless skill. They met life’s challenges with a united front, setting a beautiful example of their lifelong commitment. 

Nellie took much pride in her four daughters, nine grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. Her love was felt through her positive disposition, humor, and her delicious cooking, babysitting, and never-ending emotional support to all throughout the years. 

Mom made a warm, open, safe, and welcoming home. She created a house filled with an ambiance of family fun, laughter, and love, having hosted many celebrations, sharing her culinary artistry to perfection. 

She delighted us with her sought-after recipes, all to enjoy every day at home or during holiday time at our squeezed-to-capacity dining room table. As a child, I sat, watched, helped, and learned while she artfully cooked and baked. I attribute much of my skill set as a professional teaching chef to my mom, for sure.

Some of the staples for family dinners include but not limited to:

banana cupcakes, a demanded staple for the young ones

Spanish tongue

standing rib roasts

her famed sweet and sour meatballs

Bob’s buns 

pirogies

Nellies famous turkey stuffing 

butterhorns, a thinly rolled pastry full of cinnamon sugar and raisins 

Turkish delight rolls

nothings, famous for being airy, slightly sweet, simple ingredients ("nothing much") and delicate texture

coconut macaroons

cultural pastries

chocolate layer cake, which I then became famous, as I modified the recipe for my family dinners

honey cake

chiffon and coffee cakes

cookies galore

Mom was known for her beauty on the outside and her honest and loyal soul on the inside. She was undoubtedly an inspiration to all who knew her as well as all who had the opportunity to meet her for the first time. She held celebrity status in her community of family and friends. 

Here’s a glimpse into why she was and always will be so loved. 

• Nellie power-walked at her gym into her late 90s… yes, you read right… 4 times a week. One had to stand in line for a chance to be one of her lucky walking partners, even when walking with the rolling walker provided just for her by The Reh-Fit Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba!

  
  

• An inspiration for only eating healthful foods… no processed white, excessive salt, or saturated fats for her! 

  
  

• Nellie looked perennially younger than her years. Maybe because she never smoked anything, never drank alcohol (except to cheers at special family gatherings), and barely took anything for when she had a cold or flu.

• Our Mom, into her late 90s, took out her own garbage and newspapers… out the back door down the sidewalk to the lane… in the middle of winter and through the snow. 

  
  

• Our Mom would never call or drop in on her children unannounced, as she was concerned she might invade our privacy. We called her. 

  
  

• In our developmental years, Mom treated her 4 daughters fairly. She playfully asked us to pick a number from 1 to 10 for the larger piece of meat or whatever dinner might have been. The sister who guessed the closest number won the portion. How clever was that?

• Our Mom was a wonderful confidant. Wild horses couldn’t drag a secret out of her. We tried and tried. “Does Eaton’s tell the Bay?!” she would say definitively. 

  
  

• Our Mom’s ritual, every night before bed, was to say special prayers not only for everyone who needs prayer but also for those who are near and dear to her or us. Mom composed a special prayer tailored for each with her wishes and hopes for all. She always said she had a special G-d taking care of her.” And as it turned out, she does.

• Our Mom was the resident psychologist at her gym for those who needed an ear and sage advice. 

  
  

• Our Mom was very generous and giving. She never forgot her children’s, grandchildren’s, great-grandchildren’s, and their families’ birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and any other special occasion. A generous gift for everyone… always. 

  
  

• All her children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren absolutely adored her. That’s a feat in and of itself! There are too many of us to count. Not including boyfriends, girlfriends… their friends… 

  
  

• Our Mom was a poet. She had written hundreds of celebratory poems tailored to everyone’s attributes… all with wit, charm, and incredible rhyme. It was very special to be on the receiving end of one of her masterpieces. 

  
  

• When one needed a friend, our Mom always had a way of listening actively to her children, grandchildren, and her siblings. On her birthdays, her phone rang off the hook constantly. She was kept busy answering and calling back. Beep beep… got to go… call waiting. 

  
  

• Throughout the many years G-d gave her, Nellie’s mind was sharp as a tack. You needed to be careful with what you shared as she remembered EVERYTHING. 

• Her warm personality and enduring grace meant she was surrounded by a phenomenal team of caregivers who considered it a privilege to look after her. She was that popular.

• Our Mom never felt old. When asked, “When do you get old then, Mom?” Her answer was exclaimed with a winning gesture, “When you feel like it!!!” She was just adorable. 

We are so very blessed to have had the most inspiring, beyond wonderful Mom for all her blessed 103 years. She was truly an extraordinary soul and matriarch. Nellie’s joyful spirit is heartfelt and will forever be with us.

Funeral services were held on December 3, 2025, at a private graveside ceremony for immediate family members. Thank you to the pallbearers. Our family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to her caregivers and palliative home care. 

Donations may be made in her memory to a charity of your choice, or we would be grateful if you would plant a tree in her memory.