Our hearts are broken. Our beautiful Mom, Barbara Stevens, passed away on September 8, 2022, in Winnipeg at the age of 82 years.

 

She will be lovingly remembered by her children, Karen (Doug) and David (Lisa). She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren Benjamin, Olivia and Jaxson. In addition to her immediate family, Barbara will be greatly missed by her brothers, Tom (June) and Kenneth (Betty Anne); her nieces and nephews: Sherill (Darryl), Ian (Mirela), Brad (Nina) and Coleen (Shawn), Jim (Kim), Janice (David), her many dear friends and her cat, Freya.

 

Barbara was born on November 28, 1939 to Allen and Elsie Stevens in Fort Frances, Ontario.  The family moved to Terrace Bay in 1949 and lived there until 1957, when they returned to Fort Frances.  After graduating from high school, Barbara attended Lakehead Teacher’s College in Thunder Bay. She returned to Fort Frances where she taught for over 30 years for the Fort Frances - Rainy River Board of Education. Mom loved being a teacher.  She was a sensitive, gentle, patient, creative and intuitive teacher and her students loved her. During her teaching career, she completed distance learning courses and attended summer school. She was proud to receive her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Lakehead University in 1987.

 

When she retired in 1995, Barbara embarked on many travels and spent time with friends and family in Mexico, North Carolina, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Florida. She was a kind, generous and open person who made friends easily no matter where she was living or visiting. She connected to everyone she met and made the world a better place for all who met her.

 

It was during her retirement that she was able to dedicate more of her time to exploring her creativity and her love of painting She volunteered at the Fine Line Art Gallery in Fort Frances for several years and enjoyed making new friends and being part of a creative community. Her subjects were often of the natural world, including flowers and the beautiful landscapes of Northwestern Ontario. She completed hundreds of paintings that hang in homes across the country.

 

In 2014, Barbara moved to Winnipeg to be closer to her daughter and grandson, and remained lovingly engaged with her son’s growing family in Calgary.

 

The foundation of Barbara’s life was her family. She was very close to her own Mom and Dad, maintained a strong bond with her brothers and sisters-in law, cherished her children and adored her grandchildren. The family cabin on Rainy Lake was her favourite place. She loved nature, birdwatching, watching her grandchildren swim, going for a paddle in the canoe and delighted in the peaceful energy of being close to the water. It was also a gathering place for family to spend time together during the summer months, which was something she looked forward to every year.

 

Barbara’s family kindly requests that all of her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by watching the photo-biography above. Please, also consider sharing your own photos, memories, and stories by making use of the comment section on this page.

 

In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place and a celebration of life will be held at a later date.

 

If friends so desire, the family would prefer that donations be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or the Oak Table in Winnipeg, MB.