BARBARA ANN THOMPSON

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BARBARA ANN THOMPSON (nee BIETTE) January 16, 1944 - September 4, 2015 Early Friday evening, September 4, Barbara Ann died at Victoria General Hospital surrounded by those she loved most dearly and who loved her as much. She had been rushed there by ambulance earlier in the afternoon. This ended the long progression of her dementia. She was predeceased by her father Melo in 1965 and her special Aunt Katie Scarth in 2014. Left to cherish memories are her husband Bob; daughter Genevieve (Jason), grandsons Braden and Hudson; son Eric (Lindsay), granddaughter Hannah; her mother Barbara who turned 100 earlier in July; her brother Raymond (Steve) in Toronto, and many other important family members and friends. Barbara had many passions in her life; being a wife, mother, aunt, grandmother were the most important of these. Family came first, and she derived so much joy in cooking, baking, knitting, sewing, and especially the babysitting she did for Christian and Jacob. She loved to throw a party and relished in the planning, cooking, decorating, and organizing of games that would be "mandatory". She particularly enjoyed the summers that were spent at Victoria Beach and camping across Canada. She also was a passionate educator, specifically of adults. Earning her Bachelor of Education in 1970, Barbara taught in several school divisions in her career. It was through the founding of Stevenson-Britannia Literacy Program, however, that she really came into her true calling. Her work in this area was recognized in 1995 with her being awarded the Lieutenant Governors Medal for Literacy. She was a founding member and President of Literacy Partners of Manitoba. Again she was recognized for her work in the field of Adult Literacy by being awarded a Lifetime Membership. Barbara's zeal for life extended to her love of the theater, reading, gardening, traveling, playing card games and scrabble, crossword puzzles and a good debate of the politics of the day. The family wishes to thank the first responders and firefighters who attended to her at home. The care and compassion shown to Barbara, continued in the Emergency Department at Victoria General and extended during her short ICU stay. The dignity shown to Barbara by Nurse Matthew and Dr. Joe Bednarczyk touched the hearts of her family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barbara's memory to the Manitoba Alzheimer Society. A service to celebrate and remember Barbara will be held on Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Manitoba Buddhist Temple, 825 Winnipeg Avenue (corner of Tecumseh). Free parking is available in the Health Sciences Centre parking lot H' across from the Temple, near Notre Dame Avenue during weekend and weeknight activities.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 12, 2015