At 20 years old, in 1948, Irene Ryl Seligman made the long trip to Canada from Europe on her own to start a new life.
“Irene was a very ambitious woman, and smart, really smart,” says Tonia Mucci Cifarelli, who met and became great friends with Ryl Seligman later in life. “The memory of an elephant, as they say.”
The two met in 2000 at the Kirkland Seniors Club in Montreal’s West Island, learned they were neighbours, and soon became close. “She considered me like the daughter she never had,” says Mucci Cifarelli, who is also the executor of Ryl Seligman’s estate, which has donated $4.2 million to McGill for student scholarships and bursaries.
Ryl Seligman came to Canada on a “domestic scheme” to work as a nanny. Her father died in World War II, but her mother followed her the next year. “It was, she used to say, either taking a bus or buying a loaf of bread at the beginning,” explains Mucci Cifarelli. “So she often walked.”
After nannying for a few families, Ryl Seligman got a job at Steinberg’s, the historic Quebec supermarket chain, and worked her way up from cashier to the accounting department. She took accounting courses in the evening at Sir George Williams University.
“There were times when she had to go to one of the convents downtown – I believe it was the Grey Nuns – to eat. That’s how difficult it was,” says Mucci Cifarelli.
A dream transformed
Ryl Seligman was given shares at Steinberg’s and began to invest her earnings. She became very good at it. “I used to drive her to the various investment companies, and they were so surprised to see how much she had accumulated. The Royal Bank wanted her to give a seminar on how to invest,” recalls Mucci Cifarelli.
Ryl Seligman passed away in 2022 at the age of 94.
“When she was still young, she dreamed of going to McGill, but she could not afford it,” says Mucci Cifarelli. “So her dream was to support students who have the intellectual ability to go to university but cannot afford it. And that is why she gave McGill $4.2 million.”
A Canadian by choice
After Ryl Seligman’s husband, Jack, died, she and Mucci Cifarelli became travel partners, setting a goal to visit every Canadian province. “Irene always said, ‘I am a Canadian by choice. I love Canada.’”
Mucci Cifarelli was also able to help Ryl Seligman, who was visually impaired at that point, in day-to-day life. “Before Jack passed away, he asked me if he should be gone before her, could I help her out and be close to her.”
The two almost managed to accomplish Ryl Seligman’s Canadian travel goal, but their final trip to Newfoundland was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So Mucci Cifarelli travelled there alone in June 2023, on the first anniversary of Ryl Seligman’s passing, scattered her ashes in memory, and drank a toast “to celebrate her long, wonderful life.”
Ryl Seligman’s legacy
At McGill, Ryl Seligman’s legacy will live on in perpetuity through the awards her bequest is establishing and the students they are already helping. And part of her bequest is being used to encourage more planned giving to McGill, through the Leave a Legacy, Unlock a Future challenge, which provides a $3,000 bursary for students in need, today, for each planned gift.
She created an endowed entrance bursary and an endowed Prestige entrance scholarship.
The first recipient of the Irene Ryl Seligman and Jacob Seligman Prestige Entrance Scholarship is Anastacia Raniuk, who is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts and Science degree.
Mucci Cifarelli met Raniuk at McGill’s Prestige Scholars reception last year and brought her flowers and a gift on behalf of Ryl Seligman. She was honoured and thrilled to hear Raniuk speak and see her friend’s generosity in action.
Ryl Seligman leaves a lasting impact at McGill, but also with her best friend and honourary daughter: “I still miss Irene. We had great times together,” says Mucci Cifarelli. “She would be so happy to know that she is making dreams come true.”
Join the 2026 Leave a Legacy challenge to help students now.
Irene Ryl Seligman on holiday