Date of death: May 9, 2024
A graveside service will be held on May 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Temple Anshe Sholom Cemetery, 427 Limeridge Rd East, Hamilton.
Ora (Aurelia) Markstein passed away peacefully on May 9, 2024 at Shalom Village in Hamilton, Ontario. She was 100 years old. She was born on May 1, 1924 near Budapest, Hungary to Eliyahu and Antonia Appel. Her sister was Leah Vollmond (nee Appel).
Ora was a Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. After Liberation she miraculously reunited with her beloved fiancee Francis Markstein. The couple married in 1945, and their son Igor was born in 1946.
Ora, Francis, and Igor emigrated to the nascent State of Israel in 1949. In Israel Francis worked as a teacher, and Ora began her work as an artist and sculptor.
In 1974, Ora and Francis emigrated to Canada, settling in Hamilton. In Hamilton, Ora’s gifts as artist and sculptor blossomed. Her artworks can be seen in galleries, businesses, and private collections. Her sculptures were the focus of an extensive exhibition at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 2008.
Ora is survived by her son Igor Markstein and daughter in law Joan Markstein (Florida, USA), niece Judith Barr (Ohio, USA), niece Ruth Vollmond Apolet (Israel), niece Ahuva Leitner (Israel), dear friend and helper Nancy Coward (Hamilton), and by many friends and colleagues in Hamilton and around the world. She was much loved and respected, and will be dearly missed.
Donations in memory of Ora Markstein may be made to:
Shalom Village
70 Macklin Street North
Hamilton, Ontario. L8S 3S1
https://www.shalomvillage.ca
I was fortunate to have Ora in my life as a dear friend. I admired her honesty, her strength and courage, and her dry sense of humour. I will always be in awe of the span, depth, and beauty of her artistic works. Thank you, Ora!
Ora met my parents, Frank and Rita Shapiro when the family moved to Hamilton. She introduced them to her world of art. They were always grateful for her mentorship and.friendship