In memory of

Beverley Fingerhut

December 3, 1942 -  April 5, 2021

SHE LIVED AND LOVED

Peacefully, our remarkable mother, grandmother, and friend to many, Beverley Fingerhut, left us on April 5th, 2021.

Beverley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but made her mark in Toronto. She was one of the very first female IT executives in Canada becoming Vice-President at CGI Canada. Later, she became National Program Director at the Centre of Excellence in Business Analysis at the Schulich School of Business at York University.

She loved to travel with her late partner, Edward Hagerman, especially to Italy. Other memorable trips included teaching English to new immigrants in Israel, South Africa with beloved friends Lucille and Mickey Narun, many cruises, and to St. Petersburg, Florida with her family.

A lifelong learner and hearty appreciator of culture, Beverley could often be found at a lecture, playing bridge, attending a play or symphony, or preparing for her very popular book club which she developed at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre. Her love of art inspired her to volunteer as a docent at the AGO, to go on painting trips, and to attend weekly painting classes.

Beverley is predeceased by her parents, Sonya and Joseph Chula, her late husband, Raphael Fingerhut, and partner, Edward Hagerman. Her curiosity, intelligence, and unconditional love live on through her daughters, Robin Metcalfe (Robert), Natalie Fingerhut (Robert Winters), her three grandsons, Jesse and Joey Metcalfe and Raffi Winters with whom she cheered the Blue Jays and Raptors; her granddaughter, Olivia Winters , a frequent companion to all things musical, and her two loving sisters, Glory Fleisher (Larry) and Marleyne Chula, as well as many, many lifelong friends and relatives who were with Beverley throughout her life.

As per her wishes, Beverley will be cremated and scattered in Mount Pleasant cemetery among the roses. A celebration of her unique life will take place when her friends and family can safely gather to comfort each other and reminisce together.

Donations in Beverley’s name can be made to the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (https://www.mnjcc.org/donate) and to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (https://www.heartandstroke.ca/how-you-can-help/ways-to-give).

Guestbook 

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Zoe Levitt (A good friend❤️)

Entered April 7, 2021 from Toronto

Bev, I miss you so much. I'll always remember our hearty late night phone chats. We would talk forever, remember? We would laugh about silly things, talk unconditionally about problems and things on each of our minds, recommend books we've read and really a whole hodge-podge of everything else. I'll always remember too, the birthday celebration cake that you and Olivia gave me a few years ago. I still remember that beautiful cake that you both made! I'll miss going to the symphony and concerts together and you always being late in picking me up, causing such anxiety in me, but we always seem to make it to those concerts in time. How did you do that?! And I will always remember going to restos with you and you inevitably making friends with the strangers sitting next to us!! I loved that about you! And how are used to laugh that we were perfect restaurant mates because our hearing deficits were in our opposite ears so that when we sat at a bar or together anywhere, we were just a perfect fit! I loved all of this about you and so much more.
Beverly, my memories of you will remain in my heart and my soul forever and always.
With so much love
Zoë

Dorothy Rusoff (Friend)

Entered April 7, 2021 from Toronto

Beverley and I were classmates in Winnipeg. She helped me out at school showing her generosity and risk taking. She sat behind me in class and when I was called on by the teacher for an answer to some question that I didn't know the answer to, Beverley would scrunch down, hiding so the teacher wouldn't notice and whisper the answer. We didn't connect for many years but when we did I told her about what she had done for me...she had no recolition of her help. I'm so glad that we had the adult friendship that we had for about 8 years.Dorothy Rusoff

Denise (Friend)

Entered April 7, 2021

Things I love about Beverley:
1. I have never encountered a woman who was so positive, so committed to and overwhelmingly supportive of her daughters' abilities and overall wonderfulness. The sun shone brightly on Natalie and Robin in her eyes (with good reason of course)!
2. She was consistently generous with accolades to anyone connected to Natalie and Robin. Simply by being Natalie and Robin-adjacent, I benefited from such lovely compliments and positive reinforcement.
3. She was a great lover of fiction. Whenever we would see each other our conversations turned to what we were reading. It was always fun to talk books and share critiques on recent good reads.
4. I've been lucky enough to be connected to the Fingerhuts since I was a kid and spent lots of time hanging out with their family. I admired how Beverley treated me as one of the family, and connected with me as an adult, rather than the kid I was. I felt grown up when I was with her!
5. When I was growing up not a lot of moms I knew had jobs (except for my own mom who was a teacher). Beverley had a career, and a significant role in IT, and I remember always thinking how cool that was.

Natalie and Robin, I am so very sorry for your loss. Your mom was a force, and I feel grateful to have known her.
Love of love,
Denise

Pamela Roth (Friend)

Entered April 7, 2021 from Toronto

I met Bev in a history class at York. We walked out to the car that first night and became fast friends. We were friends through good times and some bad ones as well.
Beverley was kind and generous. I loved knowing her--talking about books we had read, films we had seen, plays we had attended, and what was happening in our lives,
I was amazed at her courage in the face of a number of tragic events. Bev had a sucesssful career. I was amazed at her many achievements.Most of all she was an amazing mother and grandmother. I will miss her.

Pamela Roth (Friend)

Entered April 9, 2021 from Toronto

Bev was an amazing women. She was a superb mother and grandmother and a gifted professional.She was also a good friend. I will miss her.

Photos 

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