Barbara Mary Howard

She is survived by Raymond her husband of sixty two years, and their children Mary (Scott d. 2023), Andrew (Lianne), Jennifer, Peter (Tulin), and Ian (Hannah). Grandchildren Paul (Emma), Jonathan, Rachel, Emma, Samantha, Aidan, Megan, Ela, Aydin, Emre, Martha, and Clara were all held dearly and have something of their grandmother to serve them in their lives.

Her caring and consideration, filtered through English reserve, were often expressed as attention to detail and a carefully worked out ‘Plan B’. She trained as a medical doctor, as did Raymond, but she paused her career to raise their children and ultimately spent her life caring for family. She made Saskatoon pies from the berries that grew against the family cabin on Shaw’s Point, Alberta and delighted in sweeping as much sand as wet children could track in from the beach. Her abiding curiosity about the world and all that it contains was never fully satisfied despite her broad reading and travels. In later years she took great comfort in watching the world float by through the Sault locks, listening to the BBC, and re-reading Arthur Ransome.

“To enter water is, of course, to cross a border. You pass the lake’s edge, the sea’s shore, the river’s brink – and in so doing you arrive at a different realm, in which you are differently minded because differently bodied.” - Robert Macfarlane, Landmarks

With gratitude to the staff at Collegiate Heights and Algoma Residential Community Hospice, to Dr. Anne Lee and Dr. Karen Booth for their compassionate care.

Arrangements are entrusted to the Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E, 705-759-2522). A private family memorial will be held at a later date.Those wishing to make a donation in Barbara’s memory might consider the Nature Conservancy Canada or a charity of their own choosing. Online condolences and tributes can be made and found at www.arthurfuneralhome.com.