Obituary of Blanche Bercovich

Blanche passed away at the age of 99 years on Thursday, February 9, 2006 in Calgary, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She will be sadly missed by her son Shelley and his wife Cylia; sisters, Doreen Henstell and Marion Corday; and brother Dr. Maxwell Lipkind. She is also survived by her niece Diana Henstell (Walt Silber) and children, Joshua and Abigail; her niece Joan Robins and her daughter Naomi; her niece Joanne (Roger) Kozberg and children, Lindsey and Anthony; her nephew Joel (Sally) Lipkind and children, Blair and Katy; and her nephew Dr. Stephen Corday. She also leaves behind numerous cousins in France, the U.S. and Israel. Blanche was predeceased by her loving husband Max; her parents Joseph and Clara Lipkind; her sister Minnie Bercov; brother Sol; sister-in-law Margaret Lipkind; brothers-in-law Morris Bercov, Dr. Phillip Henstell, and Dr. Eliot Corday; nephew Donald Lipkind; as well as a large number of cousins. Blanche was among the first Jewish girls born in Calgary. She grew up in Calgary, Daysland, and Three Hills, AB. She went to Normal School in Calgary for teacher training, getting her teaching certificate in June 1925 when she was still just eighteen years old. She then taught at various country schools, including Turtle School in the Three Hills/Trochu area, until 1929, when the Lipkind family moved back into Calgary. Blanche taught in Calgary from 1930 – 1936 at North Calgary School and at Sunnyside School. Later, Blanche would often be stopped in the family’s store in Trochu or on the street in Calgary by former students who remembered her fondly. Blanche and Max married after he moved to Trochu to manage her father’s general store. For the next twenty-five years, she managed the drygoods section of the store, J. Lipkind & Co., which they owned from 1944, while maintaining a household and raising their son, Shelley. She also found time to do petitpointe, needlepoint, and garment alterations for the store and to be a member of the Hospital Aid Society of Trochu. Blanche got the travel bug early when she and one of her teacher friends, Margaret Tidsbury, sailed to Hawai’i in the summer of 1936. Over the years she made many trips to Europe with her sisters and friends. Blanche and Max sold the store in Trochu and moved into Calgary in January, 1962. In Calgary, Blanche joined Hadassah and for many years managed various aspects of the Hadassah Bazaar. When her brother opened an art gallery in the Shell Center on 4th Ave. S.W. in Calgary, Blanche was recruited to manage it. She continued as manager until the space was no longer available and the gallery was closed. In their later years, after Max’s retirement from the House of Tools which he had started in 1963, Blanche and Max enjoyed traveling to Asia, Europe and Israel. They wintered in Palm Springs and enjoyed walking along the river banks near their apartment in Calgary, close to where her family had lived many years before. Graveside Services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 12, 2006, at the Jewish Cemetery (30th Ave & Erlton Street S.W.). If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alzheimer Society of Calgary, #201, 222 – 58 Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB T2H 2S3 Telephone: (403) 290-0110 or directly to the charity of the donor’s choice. The family wishes to give its most grateful thanks to the ladies who so lovingly cared for Blanche over the past ten years, including Espirita Bautista, Trudy Lazet, Beth Madera and Yolanda Tabarangao. Many thanks also go to the compassionate and caring staffs of Father Lacombe Care Centre and The Beverly Centre Lake Midnapore. Arrangements in care of the CHEVRA KADISHA OF CALGARY (Northeast Corner of Highway 22X and 37 Street S.W.) TELEPHONE: 244-4717.