SONDRA GOTLIEB

(née Kaufman) Sondra Gotlieb passed away peacefully, on January 21, 2026, following a brief illness, in her 90th year. Born Sondra Anne Kaufman in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on December 30, 1936, she was the daughter of David and Fanny Kaufman. She grew up in Winnipeg before going on to live in Oxford, Geneva, Ottawa, Washington, DC, and finally Toronto, as she raised her family and pursued a career as a writer and humorist. Sondra was an accomplished journalist, novelist, and food writer, noted in particular for her wit and distinctive voice. Her first book, The Gourmet's Canada, was published in 1972. In 1979, she was awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for her novel True Confections, Or How My Family Arranged My Marriage. Over the course of her career, she served as a columnist for The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and notably The Washington Post, where her column "Wife of…" drew wide attention. Sondra was the beloved wife of Allan Ezra Gotlieb, whom she married in Winnipeg in 1955. Allan predeceased her in 2020. Sondra is survived by her daughter, Rachel of Toronto; her son, Marc of Williamstown, Massachusetts; her grandchildren, Fanny, Joseph, David, Sally, Rose, and Louis; and her sister-in-law, Barbara Kaufman. She was predeceased by her daughter, Rebecca, in 2003. Sondra will be buried on Friday in a private ceremony at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Shiva will be held by her children, Rachel and Marc, on Sunday, January 25th, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Sondra's home, 127 Roxborough Drive, Toronto.