Sonia Oberman (née Weintraub)

1933 - 2024

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Sonia Oberman on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Sonia was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1933, the youngest of two, before escaping to Montreal with her parents and sister in 1939 at the age of 6. This experience would inform her for the rest of her life, but it did not define her. She attended McGill University earning a degree in applied social science and later in adult education. At 21, she married David Oberman, and soon after gave birth to her two children Jeffrey and Rona. She was incredibly strong and enterprising but despite having the intelligence to excel in any career, she was a product of her time and so her role as daughter, wife, sister and mother became her primary focus. She did, however, do many things for both her community and her social circle. She could throw a party like nobody else, and did that often, much to the delight of her family and friends. She was a master at bridge and the favored docent at the Holocaust Museum in Montreal. But it was her work for the Jewish Family Services that left a lasting impression on her community - helping people cope with terminal cancer as well as finding homes for Hebrew teachers who had survived Nazi Germany. 

Sonia adored her family, most notably her sister Dundi (Lyon), whom she lived next to for most of her life. She gave generously to her children and later her grandchildren, as she did to her synagogue and many charities throughout her life.

Her marriage to David spanned almost seventy years and she was devoted to his wellbeing until her own illness overtook her. She is survived by her husband, David, her children, Jeffrey (Alix) and Rona (Deborah), her grandchildren, Avery (Scott), Josh (Alex), Michael (Jessie) and Sammi (Blake), and her great-grandchildren Theo and Quinn. Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Thursday, August 22 at 12:00 noon. Burial at the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim Cemetery, Outremont. Shiva at her home. Donations in her memory may be made to Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors, (514) 734-1825.