Optometrist Rachel Mandel remembered for scientific mind, concern for others

Rachel Mandel’s career seemed set from her first visit to the optometrist as a 10-year-old.
Fascinated by the machinery, Mandel drove the doctor crazy with questions. Finally, he asked the precocious girl if she wanted to be an optometrist. She replied in the affirmative and spent her next 30 years pursuing that dream.
Mandel, daughter of former Edmonton mayor and MLA Stephen Mandel and Lynn Mandel, died Nov. 1 at the age of 40 from lymphoma, leaving family and friends to mourn a