Samuel Zunder passed away peacefully on February 12, 2022 after a short illness.  He was home in the company of his beloved wife at the time of his passing. He leaves behind his wife, Sandra (Belman) and his sons, Alan (Wendy) and Philip (Lynnie) and their children, Rachel, Mira, Benjamin (Claire) and Rebecca (Walid).  He was predeceased by his parents, Isaac and Bessie Zunder, and his brother, Mark Zunder (Lillian) and is survived by his brother Srul (the late Ronah) and sister, Miriam (the late Syd) and all of his nieces and nephews.

Sam grew up in Ottawa and attended York Street Public School and Ottawa Tech High School.  In his mid-twenties, he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which eventually took his vision, but didn't stop him from living a full life.  He and Sandra became very involved in fundraising for Retinitis Pigmentosa (now The Foundation Fighting Blindness), a cause he continued to support his entire life.  

Sam and his brothers owned Zunders Fruitland in the ByWard Market.  He had a keen interest in market activities and held the position of President of the ByWard Market Business Association for many years.  Even after his retirement he kept in touch with former market merchants and area politicians.

He was a wonderful and generous husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather and we were lucky to share many family holidays and trips.  He had an engaging personality and a refreshing curiosity about the world and was always interested in meeting new people.  His amazing memory for people and events made him a wonderful storyteller.  Despite his blindness, he was often able to recognize people by their voices, regardless of how long it had been since they had last met. 

A proud member of the Ottawa Jewish community, he was a regular participant at Shabbat services at Agudath Israel (now Kehillat Beth Israel) and was a long-time member of the Jewish Community Centre where he used the gym two to three times a week.

He embraced modern technology and, on his adapted computer, learned how to use the internet, where he was able to widen his horizons by listening to international news, teaching English to international students and most recently, attending weekly synagogue services in New York City.

His presence in our lives will be sadly missed.  Due to Covid restrictions, a private graveside funeral will be held at the Jewish Memorial Gardens on Monday, February 14 at 2:30pm.   

Donations in his honour can be made to: Fighting Blindness Canada, Hillel Lodge, The Ottawa Heart Institute, Crohn's and Colitis Canada or the charity of your choice.

Livestream link of the Graveside Service for Samuel Solomon Zunder