Barbara was born in Oshawa, Ontario, to May (nee Lincoln) and Colonel Alan Tosland. Her beloved older sister was Madge (“Bambi”).
Growing up, Barbara loved dogs, country drives, swimming and canoeing at the rustic family cabins. Coming from a Girl Guiding family, she was an enthusiastic participant and later a Brown Owl, Guide leader and Camp Cook, earning the nickname “Bunny”.
She met Ted Barnett in 1953, while on one of her many British trips for work and pleasure. They married in Canada and settled in Ottawa. They shared a common love of camping, skiing, travel and family. Together they were teachers of Scottish Country dancing and International Ballroom dancing, earning top professional level in both Standard and Latin.
After living in Medicine Hat and Calgary, Alberta, they retired to Vancouver Island, BC, where they pursued their hobbies, supported the local Anglican church,
continued teaching dancing and were socially active. Barbara volunteered at “meals on wheels” and “pet visitation therapy” with her beautiful Golden Retrievers and Irish Setters. She enjoyed literature, gardening, dress design, needlework and home decor, she wrote memoirs and letters, she learnt proficiency on her computer and smartphone, took adult courses and conversed on a wide range of subjects. She was interested in the world and the people in it.
She is missed by her three children, Wendy, Peter and Christopher and three grandchildren, Jakob, Sienna and Talia, as well as all those whose lives she touched, family and friends. Her loving husband, Ted, writes “I cannot for every hour, keep her out of my mind and soul, God bless her”
Her Memorial Service will be held on Friday February 2, 2024, 1:00 pm. All are welcome. St. Philip by-the-Sea Anglican Church
7113 Lantzville Rd, Lantzville, BC, V0R 2H0
She will be pleased if you can support her favourite charities - the Salvation Army, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), The Fur Bearers, The Cancer Research Society.
For further information contact daughter Wendy at [email protected] or Mobile 403 619 2501
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