Obituary of Miriam Sanders

12 August 1926—Calgary, Alberta

14 March 2023—Calgary, Alberta

Miriam Sanders died peacefully on 14 March 2023 at age 96, surrounded by family.

Born Miriam Freedman 12 August 1926 in Calgary, she grew up in Victoria Park, attended Victoria and Haultain schools and graduated from Western Canada High School in 1945. She worked part time in her parents’ Shamrock Grocery in Erlton and then full time for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Before long, Miriam’s adventurous spirit took her to live in New York, Winnipeg, Montréal, and Greenland. She worked as a stenographer at the Winnipeg Film Exchange, for Canadair (an aircraft manufacturer) in Montréal, and for the United States Air Force in Narsarsuaq, Greenland. As an enlistee in the Royal Canadian Air Force Reserve, she participated in a radar exercise.

Miriam married Joseph Morris Sanders (né Srolovitz, z”l) of Rumsey, Alberta, on 5 April 1959. From 1960 to 1969, they lived in Drumheller and started a family. From 1969 to 1975, they lived in both Drumheller and Calgary; from 1975 onwards they lived in Calgary, and Miriam and Morris enjoyed travelling the world together. She delighted in touching a Roman chariot and the Great Wall of China, but Miriam’s first glimpse of the Western Wall in Jerusalem was for her the most meaningful of all her travels.

Miriam was kind, polite, curious, and notably strong, both physically and mentally. Her broad smile and twinkling eyes brightened every room she entered. She was an avid reader with an outstanding memory of events, both personal and historic, a brilliant editor, and was passionate about card games, crossword puzzles, and writing poems, especially limericks. She contributed a couple of articles to the Calgary Herald when she was young, and in middle age she managed a neighbourhood distribution depot where Herald carriers in Kingsland collected their newspaper bundles for delivery. Miriam worked with charity groups, notably Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and the Chevra Kadisha of Calgary.

She was predeceased by father Jacob Moshe Freedman (né Friedmann), mother Sarah (née Karp), husband Morris, and son Simon.

She is survived by: brother William (Mimi Nagler); son Barry (Shanno Sen) and children Yuval (Maria Kieferová) and Sapna and Sapna’s daughter, Camille Lata Brumeaux; daughter Alias; son Harry (Kirsten Olson) and children Jonas and Anna; and nieces and nephews.

Burial services were held at 11:00 am on Friday, 17 March 2023 at the Erlton Jewish cemetery with Rabbi Leonard Cohen officiating.

The family extends profound gratitude to the Foothills Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Jewish National Fund of Canada (1607–90 Avenue SW, Calgary AB T2V 4V7, Telephone: 403-255-0295, www.jnf.ca) in memory of Miriam Sanders.

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