Moira Brigid Barr

Moira was born on 4th February 1965. She was a bright child and did well in school. From the very beginning she loved animals, the first one, a stuffed dog given to her by her Dad on her 1st birthday. This was on her bed when she died. An early adventure was when she washed Paulette's kitten. Kevin's rabbit and Irish setter, Jess were favourites of hers.

For a while Lindy and she shared a bed room and it grew rather crowded when Moira's plant count reached over 50. When Collin was born Lindy was like a second mother to him and as mothers themselves they grew even closer.

As small child Conall was her idol, anything he did she could do too. This was quite a worry when she went leaping off walls and high diving boards. She seemed to have no fear of heights, as Larry knows first hand. At Expo 67 he and the children were waiting for me at the entrance to a Montreal subway. He took a movie of her walking away along a wide ledge . When he took the (old-fashioned) camera away from his face he realized she was about 10 feet in the air. I was horrified when I saw the movie!

She and Kevin went to Point Grey School together; some people thought they were twins and others, boy/girl friends. Wrong both times but they were good friends. While there she won a ''competition '' illustrating a fable. She and a friend chose The Hare and The Tortoise and Moira used the stuffed green padding from a basket chair as the shell.

Eisher was a beautiful golden Lab who shared her life on Lillooet Street. When her much loved son, Collin, was small they would wander along Kits Beach searching for little crabs under the wet rocks. Later she gave shelter to two rather wild and strange cats, that would only tolerate her.

In 1977 Moira and I went to Ireland and England to meet my side of the family with my sister, Moira's 8 children, and my brother Patrick's three. She and his Sharon were about the same age and had great fun together with little Jobi tagging along. “Go away!” Sharon said, “She's my cousin!” “She's mine too!” he answered, which delighted Moira. For years she said she quoted it!!

We have a large extended family. Larry has six children; Graham and Kim with Michael and Angela who have John and Sophie; Nathaniel and Rebecca, and Kian and Sasha; Bonnie and Rob with Randy and Christina and their partners and grandchild Trinity; Lindy and Randy with Dylan and Raeleigh; Conall and Stacy with Courtney and Tyler; and Kevin and Kelly with Jake, Noah and Sophia. Larry also has a brother Fred, and a sister, Marleen who gave them their only Canadian cousin, Vicky-Lynn. When they were young she was like a little sister. Youngest child she was much loved, especially by her siblings and later her son Collin who was her pride and joy.

Her friends were important. Andrea Nemeth, a Grade One friend had her son about the same time Collin was born, making another bond. Mary Parton and Susan Kamenka were two other life long friends, who lost touch now and then but were always there and there were many others.

Life begins at 40 and that is when she met John Nadalin who became the love of her life and together they had eight years of love and happiness, and incidentally recently welcomed a small brown Lab puppy to their family.

Good bye Moira, and God Bless.... We will miss you so much.

Moira's Stuffed Puppy.

Moira, an infant sleeping in bed,

Stuffed puppy from Dad, close to her head.

White, yellow and soft and still with us today

Her little friend has little to say.

Well, life came along, puppy gave her a start

and life's little creatures grew close to her heart.

Then Moira, a mother of Collin, her boy,

Would walk hand in hand with her pride and joy.

They'd hop over rocks that scattered the beach,

Searching for crabs that were just out of reach.

For God's little creatures, Moira did care,

and so in her home she'd found room to share.

A lost little kitten alone and scared

Finally found Moira, someone who cared.

Then into her life her man soon appeared

He loved and protected her from all that she feared.

Even bought her a puppy dog all fluffy and brown.

This one was real and hard to keep down.

But still by her side at the end, and I know this is sad,

Was Moira's stuffed dog from her loving Dad.

So now when you walk on on the beach or play on the logs

If you see a lost pet, or a stray pack of dogs

Or in any other way, Moira pops in your mind,

Please say a prayer for her soul and those left behind.

Written with love by Conall