Obituary of Lynda Pamela Halprin (nee Verb)

March 19, 1939 - Leeds, United Kingdom, England

March 18, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

Lynda Halprin of Calgary, AB, passed away on Friday, March 18, 2022 at the age of 82 years.

Lynda Pamela Verb was born on March 19, 1939 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England to Joseph and Nora Verb (their last name was shortened from Verbalofsky at some point). She adored her older brother Philip, a talented piano player with movie star good looks. His iridescent blue eyes, the Verb eyes, are a gift that’s been passed down the family line. Even though Philip and his wife and children remained in England, Lynda and her brother remained close despite the pond between them.

Lynda immigrated to Vancouver with her mum in the mid-1960s and became a Canadian citizen on September 21, 1972. She met her husband, Paul William (Bill) Halprin, a lawyer from Winnipeg, on a blind date set up by their mutual friend. They married on December 24, 1970. Lynda and Bill lived in English Bay for a time before crossing the Lions Gate Bridge and building their beautiful home in the Caulfeild neighbourhood of West Vancouver. Their daughter, Danyael, was born on May 19, 1972.

Lynda worked in fashion all her life. She grew up in England in the era of the model Twiggy. She modelled briefly in England and worked in both wholesale and retail fashion. In all her photos, she was always wearing the most stylish outfits and hairstyles. She didn’t believe in leaving your house unless your hair was done, and you had on a good outfit. In fact, Danyael’s classmates used to run to the window when her mum drove up in her red Firebird with the personalized licence plate “LYNDA P” to see what she was wearing. She loved her leather pants and fox fur jacket, which isn’t appropriate to wear anymore.

In Vancouver, her good friend Janice Hasman, also from Leeds, opened up the high-end fashion boutique, the Nonesuch, which was located on the ground floor of the Hotel Vancouver. Lynda worked there for many years, styling hotel guests, the wealthy and corporate Vancouver. After that, she worked at BJ’s women’s clothing store in Dundarave and also managed the gift shop across the road. Her partner in fashion and in crime was her close friend Maureen Bortnak, also from Yorkshire. Those two Yorkshire lasses talked and laughed for hours. Maureen’s three boys, the Pidgeon boys!, became brothers to Danyael, bringing wildness with them.

Lynda and Danyael were very close, thinking of themselves as sisters, best friends, and confidantes. Lynda would take her little pooch Danyael along with her to do her “jobbies” in West Vancouver, showing her off to everyone she knew at the Dundarave bakery, bank and grocery store. They always enjoyed singing along to the latest pop songs in Lynda’s car. Lynda loved animals and spoke fondly of her childhood dog, Lady. When she became a parent, she was also a mom to two hamsters, a turtle (Tonto), and Robbie the Shetland sheepdog.

Members of the West Vancouver Jewish community at Har El Synagogue, the Halprin family would partake in the Sukkot, Hanukkah and Purim festivities, the bar/bat mitzvah celebrations and the High Holiday observances. Lynda was very involved in Hadassah, volunteering over the years as she schlepped schmattes and plants for the Hadassah Bazaar, along with her friends, Evelyn Amar, Isabel Berke, Maude Blitz, Janice Hasman, Linda Kochberg and Jane Shadley.

Being from the north of England came with a cheeky sense of humour. They did not hesitate to “take the mickey” out of you, to make fun of you, to keep your ego in check. And that combined with her Jewish sense of humour was a double threat. She’d poke light fun, but never with mal intent, at the inappropriate. She had Danyael in stitches right to the very end.

A prominent prosecutor and skilled water skier and downhill skier, Bill passed away on November 8, 1993. Almost a decade later, Lynda had the good fortune of finding love again in a fellow Brit, John Allanson-Oddy. He would spoil her with his excellent cooking of roasts and pies, and he knew how she liked to take her tea, which is very important to an English woman. He also came with a loving dog, Salem. They were wonderful companions to each other until his passing on April 17, 2015.

In November 2017, Lynda crossed the Lions Gate Bridge again as well as the Rocky Mountains to be with Danyael and her family in Calgary. She was not a fan of the weather and couldn’t understand how it could snow in May, but she made the pilgrimage. She loved and was very proud of her beautiful grandchildren Nathan, 15, Eytan, 12, and Mira, 11. She was always interested in how they were doing in school and at their activities. She cheered on Eytan at a hockey game or two, celebrated Nathan reading from the Torah at his bar mitzvah, and enjoyed hearing about Mira’s soccer games, dancing and her lovely disposition.

Lynda loved to travel, and she and Bill travelled all over Europe, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, the United States, etc. They embraced all races, cultures and religions and instilled that in Danyael, encouraging her to learn, celebrate and be open to all the different people in the world.

Danyael learned a lot about her relatives when she spent time with them on her trips to England; and, in learning about them it also illuminated parts of herself. Many of them are creative –- writers, journalists, broadcasters, teachers of literature –- who wear their heart on their sleeves. They are a sentimental people.

Lynda with a “y” was funny and sweet — these are the words that everyone uses to describe her. She was a wonderful Yorkshire lass. We love you and we already miss chatting with you.

Lynda is survived by her daughter Danyael Halprin; her former son-in-law Robert Roman Verbuck, and her grandchildren, Nathan, Eytan and Mira Verbuck, all of Calgary, AB. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Frances Verb, and niece Joanne Verb, of Leeds, England. She was predeceased by her husband Paul William (Bill) Halprin of Vancouver; her parents, Nora and Joe Verb, and brother Philip Verb, all of Leeds, England.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed here.

Arrangements in care of the CHEVRA KADISHA OF CALGARY, Telephone:  403-244-4717.