Rachel Safdie

RACHEL SAFDIE
(nee Esses)
Passed away peacefully, on Friday, August 26, 2011, at the age of ninety-six. Wife of the late Leon Safdie, she is survived by her four children, Moshe and his wife Michal Ronnen, Gabriel and his wife Eva Juul, Sylvia and her husband John Heward, Lilian and her husband Michael Lessard.
Grandmother of Taal and her husband Ricardo Rabines, Oren and his wife Myung-Jin Kang, Carmelle, Yasmin, Jason, Anja and her husband Victor Silva, Vera, Dov, Maya, Rebecca, Jacob, Gabriel and Aviva. Great-grandmother of Ariel, Rafael, Raquel, Mia, Anais and Mikal.
Born in Manchester, England, December 24th, 1914, where she was educated, she moved to Palestine in 1937 and stayed on to marry Leon Safdie. They settled in Haifa, where Moshe, Gabriel and Sylvia were born, and where in 1948 the State of Israel was established. In 1953, the family decided to immigrate to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where Rachel Safdie would live for the rest of her life, and where Lilian was born.
Throughout her life she was a dedicated volunteer to many causes, first as a hospital volunteer in Israel during the War of Independence, and then in Canada, actively supporting many educational, social and community causes.
She was a partner to her husband Leon in setting up and managing Safdie and Co, the family home textile business in which she continued to be involved after his death in 1986. To her last days she continued in the role of adviser to her son Gabriel in his management of the firm when he took charge.
Rachel Safdie was deeply involved in the lives of her offspring and her large and extensive family and friends living on four continents. She is the last survivor of a large family of eight children as well as ten children on Leon's side with their offspring living today in England, Ireland, Israel, Brazil, Columbia, France, Turkey, Switzerland and the USA.
She will be remembered by family and friends for her vitality, energy, devotion, grace and generosity of spirit.
Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Tuesday, August 30 at 1:00 p.m. Burial at the Beth-El Congregation Section, Eternal Gardens Cemetery, 33 Elm Ave., Beaconsfield. Reception for family and friends will follow at Rachel Safdie's home, 1455 Sherbrooke St. W. #2406. Shiva will take place at her home, on Wednesday, August 31 and Thursday, September 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contributions in Rachel's memory to be made to the Scholarship Fund of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.