CAROLE SANDRA GRAFSTEIN O.C.

Carole Sandra Grafstein, O.C., passed away on July 11, 2025, peacefully at home in Toronto. Carole was born on August 15, 1939, in Toronto, at Mount Sinai Hospital, the only child of Harry and Molly Sniderman. Her father, Harry, was one of Canada's outstanding softball players. Her paternal grandfather, M. Sniderman, was a co-founder of the Mt. Sinai Hospital, then located on Yorkville Avenue. Her paternal grandmother and namesake served on Mt. Sinai's first women's volunteer committee. Her maternal grandfather, Louis Back, was co-founder of the first Jewish Home for the Aged in Cecil Street (now Baycrest Hospital). As a teenager, she trained to swim across Lake Ontario under coach Ben Gazelle until her mother decided she should quit. She attended the first day school at Beth Tzedek, then Forest Hill High School, then Branksome Hall, and then Shaw Business College. As a teenager, she met and married her husband, Jerry Grafstein, in Toronto, on June 4, 1958. She quickly became engaged in volunteer activities, starting as Chairman of the Canadian Opera Company and served as co-chair of number of charity balls. She started as chair of the Mt. Sinai Annual Ball. She decided to switch to raise funds for cancer. She organized the Canadian Cancer Society across Canada and began to serve as a member of a number of hospital boards starting with Mt. Sinai, Princess Margaret, Sunnybrook, Toronto Rehab, Bridgepoint and UHF. She led in organizing the first Run for the Cure and The Walk for the Cure, and many similar events. She was awarded the Order of Canada. She loved to organize parties for her friends. She travelled widely with her husband in every province of Canada; across the US, including Alaska; across Europe, including England, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Russia, and especially Israel and Jordan. For her husband's 60th birthday, she organized a trip to follow the "Silk Road" across China, travelling with him and her two young sons. For decades, she helped numerous women who had contracted cancer with doctors and daily advice. She contracted cancer herself and fought over seven years, insisting that she stay at home. She was beloved by all her wide circle of friends, each of whom prided themselves as Carole's best friend. She was an avid Maple Leaf Hockey fan. Every Saturday night during the NHL schedule was sacrosanct for watching the Maple Leafs hockey games. Three of her most memorable moments were getting invested with the Order of Canada at the same time with her favourite Maple Leaf Hockey Star, "Red" Kelly, a private audience with Pope John Paul II in Rome eight weeks before he passed away, and most especially, meeting the Menachen Mendel Schneerson AHL, the Lubavitch Rebbe at Crown Heights in Brooklyn. She was a longtime member of Oakdale Golf and Country Club, as was her late father, and Turnberry Golf Country Club in Miami, Florida. She leaves her husband, Jerry; and two sons, Laurence and Michael; her daughter-in-law, Rebecca; her three grandsons, Daniel, Edward and Isaac; Edward's fiancee, Mary; and numerous Sniderman, Back and Grafstein cousins. She was delighted with the special care she received from Dr. Maze and her assistance at Princess Margaret Hospital. She was gratified by the care given by her caregivers: the late Tess Martinez and Veron Graham, Jonas Martinez, Mae Au-wing, Janis Bobila, Winsome Harris; her physiotherapist, Caitlin Wright; her assistant, Naaznin Pastakia; and exceeding thanks to her friend, Judy Schure. The funeral will be held at Beth Tzedec Congregation, 1700 Bathurst St., Toronto, on Sunday, July 13th, at 2 p.m.