Our Mum, a kind, gentle and strong woman, was born May 23, 1934, in Quebec City, and passed peacefully on Saturday morning, March 8, with her children by her side. Left to miss our Mum are her children, Ted (Dominique), Joanie (Greg) and Mary; her grandchildren: Alyssa, Kylie (Theo), Erika and Charlie (Lucy); her great-grandchildren: Sloane, Wallis and Sunny; as well as many nieces and nephews, and her dear friends. Mum was predeceased by her loving husband of 64 years, Hugh, and her brothers Jack and Pat.

Babs was a woman with a very loving heart, as well as a beautiful and magnetic smile. She lived each day with an understanding of the power of human connection and offered the warmth of that connection to everyone she met. Our Mum and her two younger brothers were raised by their parents, James O’Halloran and Barbara Stephens, in Quebec City. Their father’s employment at Anglo Quebec meant they moved to Forestville, New Glasgow, N.S. and Vancouver for very short stints, although Quebec City was always home.

Babs attended the University of Manitoba and Ryerson University to obtain her degree in inte- rior design. She went on to a career in interior design, and for many years, elements of her design could be found at the Royal York Hotel. Babs and Hugh met in Quebec City through good friends and they were married in 1958.

We three children were born soon after. Mum was an avid walker through- out her entire life and also loved to ski and bike. Later in life, Babs developed a real love of gardening and became a talented watercolour painter, often heading out en plein air with good friends; this brought her much joy.

Babs volunteered her time on several boards and organizations to give back to her community, wanting to make a difference to what mattered most to her, which was the people at the heart of each of these causes. Whether it was supporting community art productions, delivering meals to people in need, participating in serving teas or countless fundraising events, holding positions on boards to give a very human perspective to decisions, participating closely in the closing of the Ladies Protestant Home with the well-being of residents top of mind – all was done with everyday grace and utmost respect and discretion for those involved.

Thank you to the staff of Saint Brigid’s Home for the kind and compassionate care by so many.

We all miss our Mum, our Babbie and our Babs greatly.

A celebration of Babs’ life will be held in Quebec City at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (31 Rue des Jardins) on May 31 at 2 p.m. The family will be at the church at 1 p.m. to greet family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Babs’ name to either the Saint Brigid’s Home Foundation or the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Foundation. Both can be found at canadahelps.org.