Obituary: Philanthropist Fran Belzberg supported medical research, Holocaust education

Frances Belzberg when she received the Order of British Columbia in 2021. From the Belzberg family.

Article content

Fran Belzberg was a force of life.

Article content

She drew public acclaim for her philanthropic work with charities like the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. But her impact was just as profound on the people she met.

Article content

Article content

“She was just the most fun, open, warmest, most gorgeous of all the moms ever,” said her daughter Lisa Belzberg. “She had friends of absolutely every age, and lived life very, very fully to the last.”

Article content

Article content

Belzberg died July 25 at the age of 99. In remarkable shape until recently, she developed an illness that made it hard to eat and drink. She faced the end with grace.

Article content

Article content

“She said ‘I’m ready to go,’” said Lisa Belzberg. “‘I’m done. It was great. Thanks.’”

Article content

Fran Belzberg died eight years after the death of her husband, Vancouver business legend Sam Belzberg.

Article content

She was born Frances Cooper on July 10, 1927, in Los Angeles, the second daughter of a couple from Radom, Poland. Her family immigrated to Calgary in the 1920s, but her father had heart troubles and found it too cold, so they moved to L.A.

Article content

Her father died when she 17. Her mother purchased a couple of apartment blocks and Fran and her siblings looked after them.

Article content

She was physically active growing up.

Article content

“She played beach volleyball, and she was a great tennis player, a great skier, a really good golfer,” said her daughter.

Article content

She was also very glamourous — there are some photos from L.A. where she looks like a movie star.

Article content

Frances and Samuel Belzberg at the beach, 1950s. Photo from the Belzberg family.

Article content

Her life changed at 23, when her second cousin Sam Belzberg showed up from Edmonton. Sam’s dad was also from Radom, and had once been “sweethearts” with Fran’s mom. It didn’t work out, and they married other people.

Article content

Article content

But when Sam was set to drive to Los Angeles to deliver a car, his father contacted Fran’s mom.

Article content

Article content

He said “‘I’ve got a son who’s coming through L.A.,’” relates Lisa Belzberg.

Article content

“‘You’ve got a daughter that age. How about he comes over?’ So my father went over, and as my mom says, they both thought that was it — love at first sight.”

Article content

Lisa Belzberg said her parents only had one date in L.A. before Sam returned to Edmonton. But he proposed, and she accepted.

Article content

“Basically, their second date was their wedding,” she said.

Article content

That was 1950. She moved to Edmonton, where Sam had started his business empire with a used car lot. Fran became involved with Edmonton’s small Jewish community and their family grew to four kids.

Article content

In 1968, the family moved to the west coast.

Article content

“Sam said, ‘Do you want to move to Toronto or Vancouver?’ And she said, ‘Vancouver,’” said Lisa.

Article content

“Dad felt that Edmonton was too small for sort of what his ambitions were, and said, ‘Look, I travel a lot. You’re raising our kids. What do you prefer?’ She loved to ski. She knew that Grouse and Whistler were nearby.

Article content

“She knew the weather was more temperate, and she had cousins (here).”