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Although we lost our mother, Judi Duckman (nee Paikin), to
a lengthy battle with cancer when we were in our teens and
early twenties, she instilled in us strong values and taught
us important life lessons that guide us today. Judi was a
devoted wife and deeply involved parent who derived great
fulfillment in teaching and guiding others. She was a teacher
in the York Region public school system for many years, teaching
young children at Henderson Ave. and George Street Public
Schools. Her students recognized her passion for teaching
and considered her not only an educator, but a mentor and
counsellor as well. For this reason, many of her students
came back to visit her over the years to share with her their
progress in life.
One of the important values our mother instilled in our family,
as well as in her students, was the importance of making a
contribution to the community. We’re told she learned
this value from her mother, Rose Paikin, growing up in Hamilton.
They were both very active in the Hamilton Jewish community,
as well as in their synagogue, Beth Jacob. Later in life,
with her husband and our father, Lloyd Duckman, she went on
to found Temple Har Zion in Thornhill, and became a proud
member of the temple sisterhood, as well as a member of the
Gila Chapter of Hadassah. As a wife and working mother, she
also found the time to work on the campaigns of our local
provincial and federal political candidates. Her happiness
and sense of satisfaction came from helping others –
a value we admired in her.
When our mother’s cancer was discovered, the prognosis
was bleak. The surgeon told her she had only months to live.
Our mother was not one to give up easily – in anything
she put her mind to. For this reason, it came as no surprise
to those who knew her that through proactive disease management
and her willingness to embrace non-traditional treatments,
she extended her life for over two and a half years. During
those last years, our mother showed us what was truly meaningful
in life: the beauty of nature, the spirituality of Judaism,
and the importance of family time and relationships. It is
from these life lessons that we understand how to try and
live our lives today.
Andrew Duckman, Lloyd
Duckman
Owen Duckman & Shawn Duckman
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