Born on June 16, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Ada and Leonard Bromley of Grimsby, Ontario. She grew up in Grimsby, graduating from the local high school in 1949. She often spoke of her occasional jobs waitressing at The Village Inn, picking fruit in the Niagara orchards, and working as a switchboard operator for Bell Canada, a job that established friendships lasting many decades and reunions. She also worked for a memorable summer at Ronville Lodge, on Lake of Bays – and again, more friends were made.
A restless spirit, she was eager to head out of her home town after graduating, heading to the University of Toronto where she graduated as an Occupational Therapist in 1952. At a dance at University of Toronto, she was approached by a young engineering student named John “Jack” Challis. That evolved quickly into a love affair that lasted 70 years. They married on May 2, 1953, and over the space of 10 years brought four sons into the world.
The family moved several times, following Jack’s various jobs – from Don Mills, to Montreal, returning to Grimsby and finally to Applewood Acres, now Mississauga, where they managed to stay for 28 years. They transitioned into retirement in Niagara-on-the-Lake. At each home, Barb’s ready charm and outgoing nature made them strong members of the local community. She was active at Applewood United Church, at churches in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the local museum, and more recently as regulars at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Brampton.
Her passion for new places and new people inspired family summer vacations spent in the car. The clan criss-crossed Canada to campsites from PEI to Banff, and in 1967, joining the throngs at Expo 67. The U.S. border was often crossed, too, reaching North Carolina and Kentucky.
Once the boys were grown, she leapt back into the working world, finding work as a nursing aid at St. Joseph’s hospital in Toronto, and as a historical interpreter at Colborne Lodge in High Park, and later joining the staff of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum. Meanwhile, she and Jack ran their home in Niagara-on-the-Lake as a bed and breakfast for 20-plus years; primarily, the sons presumed, because Barb relished the multiple prospects of meeting new people.
She continued to fulfill her love of travel, ordering Jack to “book it” any time their travel agent called with an attractive package. Their travels took them to Great Britain, Europe, north Africa, and the Caribbean. She always took a sketch pad and a few watercolour paints with her. Her lifelong interest in arts and crafts has left many stained glass, watercolour, and knitted and sewn items in family homes. Although she loved to garden, her other interests often took precedence – and the garden plants notoriously suffered.
Barb and Jack moved to Brampton when aging bodies required more attention from the family. They set up in Greenway’s progressive care facility, then to Sandalwood Village nursing home in 2022.
She leaves behind her sons, John (Gayle Carlyle), David (Ivi Aguirre Olmedo), Steven (Carol), and Bryan (Eileen Hackl). She was Gramma C. to Jenny (Jeff Watts), Jacquelyn (Trevor James), and Nicholas Challis, and great-grandmother to Jen and Jeff’s Sloane, Remy and Declan, and Jacqui and Trevor’s Luke. She was also much loved by many nieces and nephews and their children. She was predeceased by her brother Peter Bromley and sister Doris Meeres.
In spite of advanced dementia, loss of hearing and vision loss, Barb was a favourite resident at Sandalwood Village, delighting staff with stories of Grimsby. The family extends its warmest thanks to the team at Sandalwood for their loving care, especially during her final days.
Expressions of sympathy can be made through donations to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Brampton or to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum.
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