Ahead of her time

Devoting her life to nurturing her family, Hester Kroft fostered ideals of respectful relationships, open communication, opportunities to thrive, and unconditional love, not only with her husband and children, but also through her community connections and everyday interactions with others.

“She believed siblings should not only love one another but genuinely like one another and always have each other’s backs,” said daughter Debbie Hoffman, the second of Hester’s four children.

“It gave her great joy and satisfaction to see us liking each other and seeking to spend time together,” Debbie added, noting that generations in the family committed themselves to ensuring that love and care would be unwavering and lifelong.

Born in Winnipeg in 1934, Hester met Guy Kroft, her childhood sweetheart, while attending the same grade in primary school, and growing up blocks apart from each other. They both attended Kelvin High School before moving on to the University of Manitoba. They married in 1956 and together had two sons and two daughters, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

An accomplished educator and top achiever in her faculty, Hester taught junior high school English and had a profoundly inspiring effect on her students.

With the second wave of feminism in full force, the late ’50s and early ’60s were a time of transition for women, bringing changes that weren’t always progressive. The newly married Hester was asked to resign from the work she loved and excelled in because she was pregnant.

She stepped away from teaching to raise her family, and forged ahead toward community service during a time when women were rarely accepted into such roles.

Over many years she served with dedication and passion on the boards of Mount Carmel Clinic and Villa Rosa, with a special interest in building safe communities for women and focusing on the health of women and children. She later went on to serve on the board of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Rady Jewish Community Centre and held senior leadership roles with the United Way of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council.

Hester Kroft died on Dec. 15, 2025.

“She was definitely elegant, stylish, and put together — but a woman of substance,” said Debbie. “Wise and smart, very funny, and extremely with it.

“Here she was, a 90-year-old woman with 20-year-old grandchildren, and she could text them, receive and send photos and emails on her phone. She would join in lively debate about politics and relevant current issues of the day. She didn’t just consume news, she contemplated, thought and debated. She devoted her life to teaching kids how to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners.”

“It gave her great joy and satisfaction to see us liking each other and seeking to spend time together.”

Collectively, family members describe the family matriarch as unapologetically honest, happy to give advice and an outstanding listener who was always available with wisdom.

“You didn’t always love the advice she gave; you weren’t always ready to hear it,” Debbie continued. “She gave it anyway, calmly,” she said, adding that her words were always shared mindfully.

The busy family sat down for dinner together every day. Hester, the highly organized list-maker and talented cook, made sure mealtimes were enriching opportunities to share news and experiences of the day.

After dinner came time for community involvement. With studious and busy children, the parents focused on philanthropic work and raising funds for various community organizations.

“Jewish values are important here,” Debbie explained. “In Yiddish it’s about being a mensch, a good person — tikkun olam [the Hebrew word for] repairing the world, not just to fix the world but to leave it just a little bit better than you found it.”

Hester’s commitment to being there for family and community came from generations before her and became deeply ingrained in all of her children.

“It’s what motivates you to breathe,” said Jonathan Kroft, the older of two sons. “‘What am I doing to help my community this year?’ There was sort of a common family ethic about this. My mom was intensely committed to her family. If you’re a fish, you swim. If you’re a human being you back your family — your friends — you support the people who don’t have the luck you have.

“Here she was, a 90-year-old woman with 20-year-old grandchildren, and she could text them, receive and send photos and emails on her phone.”

“She was one of those people: if you’re going to do something, you do it right. She had expectations of herself and what we as kids would do in terms of helping around the house, doing things properly, in her mind — she expected that. She wasn’t shy about correcting us or setting us straight. She treated her children very much, not as children but as independent people. If she disagreed with you she’d tell you.”

There was always time for humour in the Kroft home. Hester enjoyed The New Yorker for cartoons and political satire. She loved the Far Side, watching Get Smart and Carol Burnett, and the sophisticated comedy of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Hester’s idea of leisure always came back to spending time with family and her kids.

“My relationship with my mom was a relationship of equals as opposed to stereotypical, sitcom parent/child,” said Jonathan.

“I enjoyed being with her, I liked her company. I enjoyed her insights. I enjoyed laughing with her — I also enjoyed arguing with her. She was an interesting person. My mom was a very smart lady, academically very gifted.

“I am grateful and lucky,” said Jonathan. “I feel very lucky.”

Long-time family friend Gail Asper had a strong connection with Hester from early on. Her mother Ruth “Babs” and Hester grew up together, became buddies and stayed best friends.

“Hester was an incredibly kind and loyal person,” said Asper. “She was a force to be reckoned with in a good, strong way. She had wisdom, kindness and humour. I think about what strength and how solid that family is, all equally loved. That’s what Hester wanted: family first.”

Asper fondly remembers playtime as a child at the Kroft family cottage in Falcon Lake, where she enjoyed being with her best friend Jonathan and his mother Hester, whom she knew as Auntie.

Years later, Asper worked alongside Hester at MTC, where she saw her shine.

“She had no trouble barging into the boardroom and making the case for the theatre,” she said of Hester’s theatre fundraising efforts.

“She was obviously incredibly well-read and very knowledgeable about theatre. She knew not to burn bridges, a philosophy imprinted on her family; when you say something, you can’t unsay it.”

When Asper’s mother died in 2007, Hester unhesitatingly became her surrogate mom.

“I will be forever grateful for her open door for me. She stepped in and fulfilled that role. We had lunches and heart-to-heart discussions,” Asper recalled, highlighting Hester’s invaluable help with interpersonal relationships.

“I enjoyed being with her, I liked her company. I enjoyed her insights. I enjoyed laughing with her – I also enjoyed arguing with her. She was an interesting person. My mom was a very smart lady, academically very gifted.”

“She saved me. She’d say, ‘Here’s how I would handle that situation.’ She had an understanding of human relationships, building people up, not tearing them down.

“She was so energetic and sharp. She could do it all. She lived by example. She totally left the world a better place.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca