August 16, 1931 - July 29, 2021
We said goodbye to our family matriarch, Barbara Goodwin on July 29, 2021. A true lady in every sense of the word. Barbara was born on a farm in Unity, Saskatchewan on Aug 16, 1931. She was one of twelve siblings, an even dozen as her father boasted, with six brothers and five sisters.
Barbara moved to New Westminster, BC where she met a handsome, young sailor named Gerry Goodwin in a diner. They married in 1950 and she began her years as a sailor's wife. It was not easy, as she set up home for them in both Australia and England as Gerry pursued his nautical career.
Mum worked at Reader's Digest in both countries and enjoyed seeing the construction of the Sydney Opera house while taking her lunch breaks.
Eventually, they settled down in Burnaby and raised two children before moving us to Nanaimo in 1979. She loved her family and always put them first. Mum enjoyed sewing, gardening, and travelling. We were lucky that she was a stay-at-home mum, who always seemed to know when we needed freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Mum and Dad happily enjoyed 44 years of marriage until Dad's passing in 1994.
Barbara was lucky to find love again with Don McGorman, her companion of 14 years until his death in 2017. She was fortunate to have great friends at the Beacon, who will miss her and her amazing Scrabble skills. Mum could always create multiple seven letter words effortlessly.
Mum was always "dressed to the nines" and would never go anywhere without her hair and makeup done. Her inner beauty matched her elegant and youthful appearance. Even as she passed, we made sure that she had her lipstick on.
Mum will be forever loved and missed by her children Jim (Cindy) and Joanne and her grandchildren, Sasha, Anastasia, Cat and Alix. They adored going to Gramma's house and felt her love when she made chocolate chip pancakes and Angel food cake.
Barbara accepted her diagnosis of cancer in 2019 with grace, and her strength gave us more time to spend with this amazing lady. There will be no service at her request.
Rest in peace, mother. We love you.