Debby Hirsch (Olenick)
Debby Hirsch (Olenick)
After a prolonged illness, Debby (Olenick) Hirsch passed away at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the age of 73.
She is survived by: Brian, her beloved spouse of 46 years; her son Moshe and daughter-in-law, Chani of Baltimore, MD; her son Aron of Washington, DC; and her grandchildren, Tzippora Golda, Tuvia Mayer, Esther, Menucha, Russie, Sara Chava, Mindy, Aryeh Leib and Chaim Dov of Baltimore, MD. She is also survived by: her sisters, Gail (Arne) Wagner of Piedmont, CA and Roberta Olenick of Vancouver, BC; her aunt Marjorie Blankstein; her uncle Ernest (Evelyn) Rady; and her niece, cousins, other relatives and numerous friends in New York City, Winnipeg, Toronto, Keswick, Ottawa, Vancouver, San Diego and Hawaii. She was predeceased by: her parents, Tom and Mindel Olenick; her parents-in-law, Esther and Louis Hirsch; and grandparents, Anna and Zalman Olenick and Rose and Max Rady.
Debby was born in Winnipeg on September 10, 1953, the middle child of Tom and Mindel Olenick. Debby had a remarkable mind and a deep capacity for empathy and compassion. She truly loved children and they were central to almost every aspect of her life. After graduating from Kelvin High School, Debby earned her BA Honours, MA, and PhD in Psychology at the University of Manitoba. Her graduate work focused on helping autistic children to address behavioural challenges. She then completed a postdoctoral program in pediatric psychology and behavioural medicine at Harvard University and the Boston Children's Hospital.
Just days before leaving Winnipeg for Boston, Debby met her husband Brian on a blind date. Debby wasn't sure about meeting someone just before leaving town, but her friend insisted that this date might change her life. After a long-distance romance, Debby and Brian were married on August 11, 1980 in Winnipeg. They shared a lifetime of love, companionship and commitment. They stood together, caring for family, friends and each other.
Following several years in Boston, Debby and Brian moved to Calgary where Debby joined the Tom Baker Cancer Centre at Foothills Medical Centre. She used her behavioural medicine skills to help children with cancer and their siblings and parents face the daily challenges of testing, treatment and often loss. Debby understood the importance of caring for the entire family.
She and Brian then returned to Winnipeg to raise their own children. Her family was the treasure of her life. Debby was devoted to her husband and two sons, and then later on her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Her love was selfless and steadfast. She listened to every member of her family without judgement and with an understanding of their individual personality, aspirations and needs. She wanted for them whatever they wanted for themselves and was always there for them with support, warmth and compassion. Through her words and actions, Debby taught her children generosity, humility and trustworthiness.
Debby's kindness and humanity reached beyond her family to her friends and to literally everyone she met. It was just intrinsic to her nature to make everyone feel heard, important and acknowledged. One of Debby's most endearing attributes was her quick wit and sense of humour. Her gift for the perfectly timed one-liner or her hilarious descriptions of the most mundane events could lighten any moment.
Debby's commitment to children and the community began long before her professional career. As a teenager, she worked as a counsellor at Summer Club, the Jewish day camp in Gimli. Throughout her life, she contributed her time and energy to organizations that were important to her, including as a member of the advisory board at the McGillivray Montessori School; as a caseworker at Victim Services for the City of Winnipeg; and as a volunteer reader and baker with young children at the Jewish Community Centre where she found opportunities to work in lessons on fractions as the young bakers measured half a cup of flour or a quarter teaspoon of salt.
Debby loved to swim. Swimming was her daily early morning exercise and meditation. Friends described her as a beautiful, tireless swimmer who barely made a ripple in the pool. As a child, when it was still allowed, she regularly swam laps between the breakwaters at the harbour in Gimli. Debby loved Lake Winnipeg. She often said that she felt happiest and most at home at the family cottage in Gimli. She loved being with family and friends: swimming, building sand castles on the beach and exploring nature. She found peace and solace in being by the lake and releasing her thoughts and worries to the waves.
The family expresses heartfelt thanks to her team at CancerCare Manitoba for their kind and considerate care and to her gentle helpers from Home Instead who helped make it possible for Debby to remain at home until the last few days of her life.
A graveside service was held on October 11, 2026 at Shaarey Zedek Cemetery with Rabbi Kliel Rose officiating. Pallbearers were Arne Wagner, Gary Direnfeld, Alan Direnfeld, Max Blankstein, Gerardo Chernitsky and Rabbi Boruch Heidingsfeld. Honorary pallbearers were Marjorie Blankstein, Ernest and Evelyn Rady and Tzippi and Moshe Nahir.
Donations in Debby's memory can be made to the Nature Conservancy of Canada where a fund has been established in Debby's name to help protect her beloved Lake Winnipeg (https://secure.natureconservancy.ca/site/Donation2), Suite 1501-365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4, Tel 204-942-6053, or to a charity of your choice.