Barbara Maria Hawling

Barbara was born on September 19, 1925, in Poland. Her life was a testament to resilience and courage as she navigated through harrowing times, losing her parents at a young age when Poland's boundaries shifted in favor of Russia during the war.

Her journey took her far from home, first to a Siberian work camp and then to refugee camps in Uganda and Kenya. Despite the challenges, she found the strength to endure. Eventually, she moved to the United States and finally to Canada. There, alongside her beloved husband Richard, whom she met in the refugee camp, she built a new life. Together, they raised two wonderful children, Chris and Wanda, instilling in them the values of perseverance and hope.

Barbara’s legacy is one of strength, love, and unwavering determination. She watched as her children made lives of their own: Chris, with his wife Patti and their children Emily and Andrew, and Wanda, with her husband Gord and their children Kate and Ben.

Tragically, she lost her beloved son Chris last March.

She was a talented seamstress, knitter and her math skills were amazing. When her children grew up she worked at Borden Chemicals as a bookkeeper. Barbara was irreverent, funny, and brilliant—a generous and loving woman who always put family first.

She will always be remembered as a loving mother and grandmother.

Private Funeral Services have been entrusted to Giffen-Mack Funeral Home & Cremation Centre.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made through www.giffenmackscarborough.com