Born and raised in Toronto, Faye Mintz (née Ulster) grew up in a traditional and warm Jewish home, thanks to her father, who was a rabbi, her mother, and her three siblings. She dreamed of becoming a kindergarten teacher. She was just thirteen years old when her father died and she and her siblings took on the responsibility of supporting the family. Our mother met our father, Al Mintz, while working as a bookkeeper in the same business where he was an accountant. Thus began a love affair that spanned more than sixty years and produced five children and thirteen grandchildren.

Faye’s life was governed by her all-encompassing love of family. Our hearts are warmed by memories of Friday-night dinners, where we would gather around the Shabbos table for a delicious meal. While we laughed at our father’s jokes, complained about our siblings, and tried to speak over one another, our mother just sat and kvelled at her lot. She was happiest, however, during the summers at our cottage in Belle Ewart, where she was surrounded not only by our family, but also by her siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Faye enjoyed socializing with her many friends, knitting, playing maj and bridge, and travelling. Of all the countries she visited, none could compare with Israel, which reinforced her Jewish ideals and traditions. She loved how Israelis grabbed hold of life, and she tried to live her life that way, even in her later years, when illness made things difficult for her.

Our mother believed in tikkun olam, and every Monday for more than twenty years, she donned her pink smock and volunteered at Baycrest. Her love of Baycrest led her and our father to establish an endowment to help fund research into aging. She was also involved with Reena, and the Al and Faye Mintz Reena ElderHome stands as testament to her desire to give back to the community. As a committed UJA donor, Faye chose to support the Lebovic and Prosserman Centres through our family foundation, and to endow her Lion of Judah gift so that she could provide a Jewish legacy in perpetuity.

Faye’s goodness and kindness continue to reverberate in the community, but her personal legacy lives on in the Yiddishkeit, values and integrity she instilled in her children and grandchildren. We hope to carry on her commitment to the Jewish community and beyond in a way that would make her proud.

As told by her children