Yvonne Hazan Totah (née Sasson)

Yvonne passed away peacefully on August 21st, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Beloved wife of the late Jacques Hazan Totah. Treasured mother of Maurice, Rina, and Claudy. Mother-in-law of Melda Cermi and Howard Novick. Cherished grandmother of David, and Sasha Alcoloumbre, Jacob, and Justin Novick, Sarah, and Jack Hazan. Sister of Selim, and Odette Sasson, as well as the late Stella, Fortunée, Shella, and Frida Sasson. Sister in law of Andrée Sasson and of the late Elie Hazan, Fortunée Dana, Bahia Lisbona, Lucie Halabi and Joe Hazan. She will be lovingly remembered by all her nieces and nephews, her extended family and many dear friends.

After many years of working as a teacher in Lebanon, Yvonne and her family moved to Canada in 1972. At age 40, she went back to school in order to teach French and Math in elementary school while raising 3 young children and working as a substitute teacher. She taught in several schools and impacted the lives of hundreds of children with her playful approach, warmth and benevolence through a career that spanned over 40 years.

She will be remembered for her deep and unwavering love for her family and close friends, outstanding Jewish Lebanese cooking, boundless generosity, and sharp wit. She especially cherished gathering family and friends around her dinner table. She single-handedly hosted Shabbat dinners every week, keeping the family united until the very end.

Special thanks to her family doctor, Dr. Lynn Cohen, for her extraordinary care and to the staff at the Jewish General Hospital for the quality of their care throughout her many admissions.

The family is grateful to Nicky, Faye, Aisha and Nenita for taking such good care of her over the past couple years.