Barbara Margaret Pusztai

Barbara was born September 16, 1927, her birthplace recorded as 5 Brunswick Square, North-West Camberwell, County of Camberwell, London, England, UK. Her father William Wallace (1896-1963) was an Electrical Artificer (Electrician) in the Royal Navy, based out of Portsmouth, and was often away at sea, but the many lovely letters sent back and forth between them show they remained close. Her mother Lillian Sirett (1896-1981) had trained as a Court Seamstress (nowadays it might be called couture tailoring) but left that work to raise the children.

Barbara spent her childhood in the family home at 13 Highlands Road, Drayton, Portsmouth, and attended Solent School at the foot of the road. She had three sisters, Ruth (1922-1992), Marion (1930-ca 2010), and Teresa (1932-2021), and one brother, Robin (1933-2018), and an extensive network of uncles, aunts, and cousins. The Girl Guides were a big part of her youth. Between the ages of 12 and 19 she suffered the many disruptions and privations of WWII that were common to her generation. She read widely in English literature and could quote extensive passages of poets like Wordsworth and Macaulay, and learned a love of gardening from her parents and the Land Girls.

She enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1947 and served until discharged in 1950 as an Acting Sergeant - “This SNCO has been mustered in the trade of Dental Hygienist after completion of training in 1947. Her ability and capabilities as supervisor have always been assessed as superior and her conduct very good.” Most of her duty was in Egypt, where she enjoyed visiting the ancient monuments. While in the region she also toured Cyprus.

In May 1951 she received a Certificate of Proficiency in Oral Hygiene from the Ministry of Health in the UK. She worked as an oral hygienist at Hammersmith Hospital, London, for several years.

Her military service allowed for her to be demobilised in a Commonwealth country of her choice. Letters show she considered emigration to New Zealand but chose Canada instead, landing in Montréal, Québec, on March 7, 1959.

There she met Sándor Pusztai (1921-2002), a Hungarian refugee, and they were married November 7, 1960, in Toronto, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral at Spadina and Dundas streets. They lived first downtown on Dovercourt Road, and later moved to nearby Richmond Hill when Sándor got work there.

In 1964 she became pregnant and they moved to an apartment on Tecumseth Street in Hamilton, Ontario. She worked as a hairdresser at Westcourt Beauty Salon in nearby Westdale for many years, and Sándor had a reliable job at Dominion Glass. In 1965 their son William (Bill, named for his grandfather) was born. Several years later they bought a house just off Concession Street in Hamilton, in a tract built for soldiers returning from WWI. Soon after, her mother-in-law Erzsébet (1896-1989) came to live with them.

Throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s Barbara devoted considerable time to her hobbies of oil painting and gardening. Sándor was an avid fisherman, so they would often travel to nearby places in the country for a day by the river; Caledonia and Dunville were favourites. Vacations were spent driving to Northern Ontario locations like Blind River and Bobcaygeon, nominally for the fishing but as much for the scenery. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton was a favourite local outing.

Barbara completed her Canadian citizenship requirements on October 9, 1973, at Hamilton.

When Westcourt Salon closed down in the early 1980s, Barbara took a job near the house working retail. A few years later, they finished paying the mortgage, and she and Sándor both retired. Somewhat reluctantly she was drawn into his retirement hobby of running a flea market stall, first in Caledonia, then on Barton Street in Hamilton. Their last vacation together was a trip to Prince Edward Island, which they both tremendously enjoyed.

Sándor passed away in 2002, and after a time, Barbara decided it would be better for her to live in supported housing, so she took an apartment at The Residences on Augusta in downtown Hamilton. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013, she relocated to Ridgeview Long Term Care in Stoney Creek, where she spent her final years.

Barbara passed away at 07:10 EST (UTC-05:00) on Friday November 19, 2021, aged 94 years, in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, peacefully in her sleep without visible pain or anxiety, from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. According to her wishes, there was no viewing or religious service; her cremated remains are to be placed in an urn next to her late husband, Sándor, at Whitechapel Memorial Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

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