Obituary of Barbara Gilbert

Barbara Burdette Gilbert (nee Allen) lost her battle with cancer on Friday, November 11, 2022. She was one month shy of her 77th birthday. 

Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Richard (Dick) and Kathleen (Kay) Allen, her sister Gail Edwards, and brother-in-law Barry Townson.  

Beloved Wife of Neil, her husband of 56 years, proud Mom to Keith (Debbee), Laurie (Terrence) and Erin (Andrew), devoted Nana to Katie, Christopher, Jordan and Emily-Anne and Bonus Nana to Benny and James. Barbara will also be missed by her sister Joanne Townson and family, her sister Pat and Gary Edmonds and family, her brother Richard (Rick) and Diane Allen and family, her sister Heather and Frank Morrison and family, her brother-in-law Dennis Edwards and family, Neil’s sister Margot and Ken Kaminski and family, and by Katie’s mother, Rhonda.

Barbara grew up in North Bay, moving to Wawa to teach after graduating from North Bay Teachers’ College. It’s there that she met Neil, and it was love at first sight. The pair married in April 1966 and returned to the North Bay area to start their family. Over the years, Barbara worked at Lee Jeans, A&P grocery, and the Bank of Nova Scotia, and was a member of Omond Memorial United Church in North Bay. 

After moving to Saskatchewan in 2001, first to Climax then to Assiniboia, Barbara became more involved locally in the community and the United Church of Canada. She was a member and treasurer of Climax United Church Women, a member of the Southline Quilters and a member of Climax Housing. In Assiniboia she was a member and treasurer of St. Paul’s United Church Women, a member of the Assiniboia Arts Council and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 17. She was a member of Chinook Presbytery and was a delegate to many annual meetings of the Saskatchewan Conference. Barbara also loved being a part of church communities in Abbey, Lancer, Gravelbourg, Shamrock, Lafleche and Limerick. 

Barbara was passionate about sewing and could make almost anything with a swatch of fabric, a needle and thread. She was also an avid knitter. She took up quilting after moving to Saskatchewan, and it was yet another craft at which she excelled, especially since it combined her love of sewing with her love for precision. Barbara also had an aptitude for both words and numbers and could often be seen working on a crossword or a Sudoku.

Thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff who cared for and about Barbara: Doctor Glaeske, Dr. Bahodi, those at the Assiniboia Union Hospital, Wigmore Hospital, Pasqua Hospital, and the Allan Blair Cancer Centre; those at St Joseph’s Hospital in Gravelbourg and Assiniboia Union Hospital Long Term Care, who cared for Barbara over the past three months. 

A service will be held at Piché-Hawkins-Grondin Funeral Chapels in Assiniboia on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 2 pm. The service will be live streamed on their Facebook Page and available for viewing after the service on their website (https://pichehawkinsgrondinfuneralchapels.ca). 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Barbara’s name to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency or St. Paul’s United Church, Assiniboia.