In the middle of a peaceful,
starry-skied night, after a warm, sunny spring day and a brilliant
sunset, at the end of Prairie crocus and Maritime mayflower season,
Barbara Joan (Mornan) Bueckert died
peacefully in the early hours of May 6, 2022 at Westford Nursing Home
in Port Elgin, NB. She was 89 years old.
Her loss is deeply felt by her daughter
Dorothy (Dodie) Perkin and her husband John, her son Robert and his
wife Donna, her four much-loved grandchildren, Wray Perkin (Kristyn
Visser-Perkin), Joanna Perkin (Vincent Dubuc), Owen Bueckert, and
Logan Bueckert, and her sister Ann Noble. She also leaves
behind her niece Heather Gray and nephew Richard Noble and their
families, and many nieces and nephews from her husband’s
family.
Her beloved husband Peter and her older
sister Peggy preceded her in death.
Barbara was born and raised in
Montréal. She was proud of her family’s
Baptist heritage as ministers and educators in Jamaica, and continued
that heritage by marrying Peter, a Baptist minister. When,
at the age of 34, she and Peter and their children moved to southeast
Saskatchewan, she fell passionately in love with the vast prairie
sky. They lived in many places across western Canada, and in
retirement, moved to the Maritimes to be closer to their first two
grandchildren, but no matter where they lived, the prairie was forever
her spiritual home.
Barbara treated every home as if it was
her permanent home, embracing each community and the people in
them. Her homes were places where family, friends, church
folk, and strangers were always warmly welcomed. In
Sackville, she became «Nana» to countless university Chapel
students and football players.
Birds and flowers were two of
Barbara’s favourite things. She spent hours
working in her gardens, learning to adapt to different climates and
soils. She was an accomplished needlewoman and seamstress,
sewing wedding dresses, tailored suits, and many outfits for her
grandchildren. She worked as a school librarian in several
schools across Canada, and loved the opportunities that arose for
connecting with the students, especially those who were
marginalized.
Barbara was a multiple cancer survivor,
but cancer never defined her. She tackled each bout with
determination, faith, and strength. She believed that God
was in control of her life. From her, we learned to look for
the beauty in the small things in life, the insects in the gardens,
the wildflowers hiding in the woods, the way the clouds were striated
in the sky, and the countless colour variations in wild
lupins.
The last years of Barbara’s
life were spent at Westford Nursing Home. We are so grateful
for the loving care that she received from every staff person, her
visitor Carolyn, and her longtime family doctor, Graeme Stewart,
especially since COVID limited the amount of time we could spend with
her.
Barbara’s funeral arrangements have been
entrusted to Jones Funeral Home, 70
Bridge St., Sackville, NB (506-364-1300) where visiting hours will
take place on Tuesday from 6 to 8 pm. Her funeral service
will be celebrated at Mount Allison University Chapel on Wednesday,
May 11, 2022 at 2 pm, officiated by her son-in-law Rev. John
Perkin.
Donations in her memory may be made to
the Westford Foundation Serenity Garden or the Canadian Foodgrains
Bank.
Sharing of memories and condolences may
be sent to the family by visiting the online memorial at
www.jonesfuneralhome.ca or through the Jones Funeral Home
Facebook Page.
A video recording of the funeral service
will be available here on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
1933 2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Barbara J Bueckert 1933 2022..
Décès pour la Ville: Sackville, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick