Bette Shulman (née Tunis)

Feb. 19, 1927 - Mar. 20, 2025

Peacefully and surrounded by family on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the age of ninety-eight. Wife of the late Harold Shulman. Daughter of the late Henry and Sara Tunis, sister of the late Edna Fenster and Ruth Ditkofsky. Sister-in-law and best friend of the late Lillian Baer, and longtime friend of the late Harry Ditkofsky.

Bette will always be loved and remembered by her seventeen Shulman descendants, our families and so many others who adored her: Sons Allan (Lynne Marler, her children and grandchildren), Teddy (Don Renaud), Gary (Tina Spinder), and Ian (Lauren Tascan and her children); Grandchildren Jane (Narumi Taniguchi), Charles (Britt Erickson), and Nicholas (Alice Sanz), Andrew (Paula Eskenazi), Benjamin (Taryn Katz), and Samuel, Emilie (Félix Rondeau), Madeleine (Julian Fusco), and Olivia (Patrick Gaucher); Great-grandchildren Nate, Magnus, Lewis, and Eloïse. Bette will also be fondly remembered by her former daughters-in-law Deborah Shulman and Ronnie Marin.

Bette was a remarkable woman who modeled kindness, generosity and compassion wherever she went. She always had time to listen to our stories and was relentlessly supportive. Beautiful inside and out, she was also strong, independent and effortlessly stylish. After suddenly losing her husband in 1974, Bette raised her family while also taking a job at Temple Emanu-El-Beth-Sholom. There she became the heart of the office, working thirty-six years until she retired at the age of eighty-three. Bette also became a student at sixty, taking one university course every fall and winter semester. She graduated from Concordia when she was seventy-eight years old to raucous cheers as she crossed the stage to receive her Bachelor’s degree.

We will miss Mom/Grammy more than we can possibly say. She was everything to us and we were so lucky to have had her in our lives for so long. We will carry on her legacy with pride and gratitude.

Special thanks to Arlene Castro and Harriet Greener, the staff of St. Mary’s Home Care Program, and the staff of St. Mary’s Palliative Unit, who all took phenomenal care of Bette.

Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean-Talon St. W. on Sunday, March 23 at 12:00 p.m. Shiva at Bette’s home on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday March 23 to 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

If you would like to share your memories of Bette with the family, please write to bette.memories@gmail.com. Contributions may be made in Bette’s memory to the Bette Shulman and Family Endowment Fund at Temple, (514) 937-3575 or click here to donate to Parkinson Canada.