Harbans Kaur Sandhu

We are saddened to report the passing of our dearly beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, mother in law and family matriarch, Harbans Kaur Sandhu, on December 25, 2015 at the age of 91. She passed away very peacefully at Victoria Hospital after a very brief illness.

In an immediate and extended family that spans all parts of the globe, Harbans Kaur was known by many other names; Biji, Nani, Dadi, Parnani, Pardadi, Bhua, Tai, Masi, Mami, Chachi or simply sister. But perhaps most importantly, to her husband of 75 years, she was “Paro”.

She will be missed dearly by her husband Col. Kalyan Singh, with whom she had the joy of raising 5 children. She was predeceased by her dearly beloved daughters Rupinder and Paramjot and adopted son Harjit. Amongst her surviving children, she will be eternally missed by Rattanjot (Naunihal), Deshpal (Pavan) and Sudhir (Suenita) and adopted daughter Inderjit (Jagir). A special place in her heart was always held for Pawan, husband of her eldest daughter Rupinder.

Her 16 grandchildren were her blessings and were blessed to have her as a grandmother. Across the world, she will be deeply missed by Purva (Vikas), Puneet (Dev), Rohit (Deepa), Himmat (Priyanka), Anant (Nitika), Mona (Kunal), Anup (Bhawana) Sehej, Amber (Paree), Shea, Anjali, Aaron, Hardil Aziz, Antara, Aman, and Anaka. Nearly every single grandchild had the pleasure of being raised with her grandmotherly love at some point in their childhood and all maintained a very close connection to her right up until her final moments. Her great-grandchildren include Shiva, Nirvaan, Shivan, Veer, Jai, Kashi, Noor, Shayar, Jiya and Aria.

Harbans was born in Multan, India (now in Pakistan) to her loving parents Hazara Singh and Aas Kaur Kang. She was the second oldest amongst her siblings Kundan Singh, Rawel Kaur (both deceased) and Pritam Singh. During her incredible lifetime, she journeyed from the rural farmlands of India, to life in urban India while her husband served in the Indian Armed Forces, and ultimately to Winnipeg, Canada. She was a determined woman, teaching herself to read and write, demanding the right to gain an education at a time when that was not the norm and encouraged her children to strive to reach the stars. Along the way, she had many adventures travelling many parts of the world and left an indelible mark on the many people she met. She always took extra time to talk to someone new, learn their life story and maintain genuine contact even after many years.

Her family learned to love because they were beneficiaries of her completely unconditional care and love. She imparted a sense of selfless caring that is both rare and noble. After raising her own children, she had an incredible impact and influence on grandchildren she loved and cared for in India, Australia and Canada. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are her ultimate legacy. They uphold the values that were held in deep regard by Harbans and continue to demonstrate her affection, empathy and love as they go forward in their lives.

The family is saddened to lose such a wonderful role model and caregiver, but we find it easy to celebrate a remarkable woman who made an incredible difference. The grace and dignity with which she accepted her journey to a divine world will always be an inspiration to those present.

While her illness was brief, her stay in hospital was made easy and comfortable by the wonderful staff at Victoria General Hospital. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Cavers and Dr. Munuswamy as well as nurses and healthcare staff including Matt, Michelle, Brooke, Jovy, Hiwi, Jennifer, Jasvir and Iris. Please forgive us if we have missed any other staff whose contributions we may have missed.

Funeral services will be held at Thomson “In the Park”, 1291 McGillvray. Boulevard, Winnipeg, Manitoba on December 30 at 2:00 pm.

Sri Akhand Path prarambh will be at the Winnipeg South Sikh Centre, 500 Dovercourt Drive at 6:00 pm on Monday December 28. Bhog and langar will take place following the cremation ceremony at 6:00 pm on Wednesday December 30.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cancer Care Manitoba (www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca -- directed to the Mrs. Rupinder Singal Memorial Fund (set up in memory of Harbans Kaur’s eldest daughter who lost a battle with Ovarian Cancer earlier this year).