Barbara Brouwer

Barb was born on November 3, 1955 in Wilkie, Saskatchewan to Leendert (Len) and Johanna (Joan) Brouwer, the third daughter in a family which would grow to include four additional siblings. After a short stint on a farm near Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan, the family moved to Provost, Alberta in 1960 where her father started his own bakery. From an early age, all of the children helped in the bakery.

Barb loved her two littlest sisters and would patiently walk them to and from school halfway across their small hometown four times a day while she was in high school. Barb’s tender heart led her to volunteer as a Candy Striper at the Provost Hospital.

Following the death of her father in 1972, Barb, along with her siblings and mother, continued to operate the bakery, with Barb being the primary baker from 1974 to 1976. Her cinnamon buns were a favourite, at least amongst her younger customers. Her love of creating edible items carried into the home kitchen where more than once she made one large bowl of peach souffle dessert for her brother and another bowl for everyone else! She successfully challenged the journeyman baker exams and doing so was her proudest accomplishment.

Barb subsequently lived in Wainwright, Lloydminster, Jasper and Calgary. She had deep love for her nieces and nephews, getting down on the floor to play games with them and sitting in a comfortable chair to read books to them. She adored the Rocky Mountains, bears, cats, NASCAR racing and her farming game on Facebook. Many of her dearest friends were met in her online communities.

She greatly enjoyed trips to visit her relatives in the Netherlands, to Disney World and to Vancouver Island. Her last major trip was to the Maritimes, and to several eastern United States to meet some of her online friends in person and attend NASCAR races live, making shared memories to last a lifetime.

During her final spring, she really wanted flowers outside her windows. She wasn’t up to shopping for bedding plants, but she requested some sunflowers to show support for Ukraine following the shocking invasion by Russia. She had a big heart.

Life was often challenging for Barb, but she always picked herself up and carried on. She passed away unexpectedly on December 11, 2022.

Waiting to meet her at Heaven’s gate were her father Len (1972), mother Joan (2003), and nephew Tim (2021).

Barb was a dear sister of Elly (Jon), Joyce (Russ), Yvonne (Malcolm), Len (Edith), Grace, and Nicky (Doug); special aunty to Stefen, Amanda (Rob), Ivan (Jen), Byron (Kaytie), Justin (Janell), Emily (Chris), Dee, Derek (Roberta), Nic (Michelle), and Natasha, as well as numerous great-nieces and -nephews and two children from the newest generation; beloved niece of Jannie, Dick (Elaine); and was held dear by five cousins and their families.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. James Anglican Church, 6351 Ranchview Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta on February 11, 2023 at 11:00 am.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch via this link https://youtu.be/7UrvlQVf4L0

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Calgary Humane Society at https://www.calgaryhumane.ca/or to the charity of your choice.