Clare Waldman

Clare Wise Waldman

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Birth: January 5, 1927 in Drumheller, Alberta

Death: April 12, 2016 in Victoria, B.C.

Plot: Row H – Plot 8

Inscription:
פ״נ
WALDMAN
Charles
יחזקאל בן יעקב ורייזל
1925 – 2008
Our Favorite
Clare
חייקלה בת שלום ופשאה
1927 – 2016
Precious Memories
ת׳נ׳צ׳ב׳ה

Biography:
She married Charles Waldman in 1947.

Her obituary published 19 April 2016 in The Times Colonist reads in part as follows: “Clare Waldman (nee Wise) died peacefully on Tuesday with family by her side. Bobby or Bobba Clare, as she was called by her grandchildren, and great grandchildren, lived a full life. Clare Wise was born in Drumheller, Alberta. Daughter of Sam and Bessie Wise, her younger siblings included sister Doris, brothers Ted and Leonard, their blessed memories live on. The family moved to Wayne, Alberta then to Trail, BC. In Trail, BC, she met and married her husband, Charles (Chuck) Waldman. They created a rich life in Rossland BC for their three children. After about 18 years of helping to build the family business in Rossland, Clare and Chuck arrived in Victoria in 1967.

Clare was a volunteer extraordinaire. She ran the Gift Shop (often out of her car) at the Congregation Emanu-El in Victoria for over a decade, participated in Hadassah-Wizo and its Bazaars, served at the desk of the Jewish Community Centre of Victoria and driving people for their lunches at the JCC, where she was also the Matzo Ball lady. She was an active member in the Monterey Senior Centre knitting group with its many craft sales. What characterized Clare was her clear devotion to family, passion for taking care of seniors for over 30 years and her selfless devotion to serving others. We give so much thanks to the patient and friendly staff of Amica at Douglas Residence and to Dr. John Kelly.

Her daughter Sharon noted the following:
Clare was an award-winning Volunteer, not only for the gift shop; our parents, Chuck and Clare Waldman received a volunteer award ceremony funded by the Barer family. Clare was to be found driving elderly Jewish folks for groceries, to doctor appointments. She was an avid knitter & crocheter & crafter extraordinaire for craft sales. Her membership in the community knitting club in Oak Bay also brought out some of her leadership skills. At the Jewish Community Centre, she volunteered to make matzo balls for soup and helped out weekly in the kitchen until her later years.

She loved singing in choirs. Gardening and baking were also passions – but absolutely the best part of her life in Victoria were visits from family.

Her daughter Miriam added the following about her parent’s courtship, marriage and life together:
Having learned his BS degree in Chemistry, Chuck came to work at Cominco in Trail, BC. There were only a few Jewish families in this small town in the West Kootenays. One day he came into Segal’s Confectionery Story, where Clare Wise happened to be working, to give regards from fellow acquaintances in Saskatchewan. Trail was a small town where everyone knew each other, played bridge and poker games. Someone had a party to which both Clare and Chuck were invited. Clare (20) had just graduated from Business College. Chuck (22) fell for Clare right away. Soon after, she went off to the big city, Vancouver, to spend time with her cousin, Adele Moscovitz. To woo her back to Trail, Chuck wrote Clare every day and sometimes twice a day!

Their wedding, as chronicled in a Jewish History of British Columbia, was the first Jewish wedding in the West Kootenays. Although Chuck’s first career was as a research chemist, soon after marriage he went into business in Rossland with his father-in-law, Sam Wise, in Wise’s Hardware and Furniture. Clare helped in all aspects of the business as well. They remained in partnership with Zaida Sam for 18 years. These Rossland years were ones in which Chuck and Clare raised their family and where precious family memories and traditions were generated. At age 40, with his children now teenagers, Chuck returned to college (UBC) to get his teaching credentials in Mathematics. He served as a dedicated high school Math teacher for 25 years, first in Castlegar, near Rossland, and then in Victoria where we moved in 1967.

Parents:
Bessie Fiefman Wise (1903–1979):
Samuel Abrahamson Wise (1893–1970)

Sibling:
Dorris Wise
Ted Wise
Leonard Wise

Spouse:
Charles Waldman (1925–2008)

Children:
Miriam Waldman
Sharon Basman (née Waldman)
Ron Waldman

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