Silver Family
Phil (Fischel) Silver was the second of 9 children born to Usher and Goldie Esther Argintaru in the tiny village of Zvoristea, Romania.
Like most Jewish boys, in order to avoid being conscripted into the anti-Semitic army, he fled the country. At the age of 19 he left his family and arrived alone in Quebec City on July 28, 1914 aboard the “Tyrolia”. On his arrival Phil had $25 and stated his occupation as “tailor”. His older brother Max, who was likely the first to anglicise the Argintaru name to “Silver”, had fled Romania 2 years earlier and settled in Calgary. So Phil followed suit. Eventually 2 more siblings Fanny (later Slezas) and Getta (later Solomon) also arrived in Calgary. Usher stayed in Romania and died in 1931. Three other siblings survived the war and made it to Israel.
In 1917 Phil married Katie Keller at the House of Jacob, and they established their new home in the Mission district. They had two children, Maurice (Maury) and Frank who attended school first in Mission, then at Central High, as well as cheder. Phil and Katie together became grocers, running “Our Own Grocery” in Bankview.
When the war broke out, Maury joined the Calgary Highlanders and, as soon as he was old enough, Frank enlisted in the Navy. Frank did high seas duty in the North Atlantic, while Maury served in Italy.
After the war, Maury married Evelyn Davids from Lethbridge, and Frank married Marjorie Weinborn (Wejnbaum) from Rumsey and Vancouver. Phil and Katie opened a modest clothing store downtown (“Silver’s Ready to Wear”) at 111 – 8 Ave SE. At that time Frank and Marjorie Silver were living in Royalties, AB and ran the “Royalties Friendly Store”, but moved back to Calgary in 1952 to help Phil and Katie. With Frank’s help, they were able to expand the business to a larger store, a block east (at 221- 8 Ave SE), a few doors west of Jaffe’s Books and east of Jake’s News.
In the 1960s the family “moved” from the House of Jacob to the new Shaarey Tzedec synagogue so they could sit together.
The Silvers (and son) continued to operate the store until Phil’s death (January 1963). As Frank was more interested in mechanical work than retail sales, and Katie couldn’t manage the store on her own, they sold the business shortly afterwards.
Katie always helped run the stores but she was best known in Calgary for her legendary cooking/baking/gardening skills, and her expertise at all sewing, crafting and needlework. Phil and Katie hosted Passover seders and YomTov dinners at their home for the entire extended family, including newly arrived relatives from Romania and Israel, and guests who had nowhere to go. Katie worked tirelessly in and out of the home, and did not retire until she finally quit her job at Fannie’s Fabrics at age 85.
Phil died in 1963, and Katie died in 1995; both are buried at the Erlton cemetery.
