Mauricio KUPERMAN

MAURICIO KUPERMAN November 21, 2021 Born in 1946 in post-war Italy, Mauricio Kuperman was the child of Holocaust survivors. A naturalized son of Brazil, Mauricio carried with him everywhere the passion and flamboyance of a true Brazilian. He brought his southern warmth and love of dancing to Israel, where he met his beloved wife, Larissa, when both were students. His son, Peter, was born there. He swept his young family away, back to the Americas, when he was accepted as a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. Even in cold and windy Boston, Mauricio kept dancing, driven by music-taking enormous pleasure in attending the nearby Tanglewood music festival in summertime; a pursuit that he continued to enjoy with Larissa well into their silver years. He sang in Yiddish, Hebrew, Brazilian Portuguese, and English to young Peter and to his beautiful daughters, Alexandra and Natasha, born in Toronto in a later chapter of his family's life story. A student of metaphysics and a voracious reader, young Mauricio studied Engineering in Brazil before undertaking studies in Philosophy: he went from studying matter to studying mind over matter. When he left academia, he put his theoretical knowledge into practice by becoming a successful real estate agent. It put food on the table and allowed him to take on new and exciting challenges in business. With Larissa's loving support, Mauricio was able to criss-cross the Canadian landscape to find real estate investment opportunities. His early ventures required many sacrifices at home, but they brought his immigrant family out of a marginal existence and into something more comfortable. Over time, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, and yoga joined dancing as activities that defined his life. Skiing and hiking connected him to his new homeland while swimming and yoga helped to centre his spirit. Deeply affected by his childhood illnesses, Mauricio spent his adult life in the pursuit of good health. It was all he ever wanted for himself and the people he loved. In a cruel twist of fate, Mauricio was diagnosed with Parkinson's, a disease for which there is presently no known cure. Between diagnosis and death, Mauricio saw the birth of numerous grandchildren, did an around the world cruise, and watched Brazil play the beautiful game in one last World Cup. Grown frail from his ailment, Mauricio was finally released from his suffering. He is lovingly remembered by his wife Larissa; his children Peter (Emmanuelle), Alexandra (Mitchell), and Natasha (Adam); grandchildren Sila, Caradoc, Cedric, Robin, and Cormac; brother Haim (Rina); countless nieces, nephews, and more.