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For Barbara Darragh of Ottawa, a “perfect day” was spent skating the length of the Canal with her husband Jim in the morning, followed by an afternoon of skiing, and capped with dancing together all evening. In the summer, swimming, hiking, and more dancing. So, it is with great sorrow that we must announce that night has fallen on her active and vibrant life. Barbara passed peacefully at Amica Westboro Park in her 95th year.
Barbara’s story begins in Centretown, where she was born and raised on McLeod Street. She showed an early curiosity about people and could draw others into easy conversation. At Lisgar Collegiate, she befriended a girl sent from England seeking safety during the war; naturally, Barbara became her lifelong friend. She studied Home Economics and Nutrition at Mount Allison and Western Universities, graduating in 1951, then became a high school teacher after earning a Diploma in Education.
Barbara spent summers with family in Port Bruce, Ontario, where she met Tom Lee, and later worked on his archaeological Early Man excavations at Sheguiandah on Manitoulin Island, from 1952 to 1955. They were married in 1953 and raised three boys in Ottawa’s West End and at her mother’s cottage on the Gatineau River. Those long days of summer were filled with swimming, hiking, and outdoor discovery, a multi-generational gift from a mother to her sons. When the days grew colder, she shared her love of skating on the Canal and skiing forests and hills.
Barbara forged many cherished friendships through bridge games, book and discussion clubs, and a hiking group. After Tom’s death in 1982, she developed a passion for Scottish country dancing, where she met Jim Darragh. A romance blossomed between the pair and they wed at the Unitarian Church in 1987, where they remained active members.
Marrying Jim brought Barbara back to Centretown, where they loved to entertain friends at home as well as at their cottage, and from where they enjoyed the best of Ottawa’s outdoors together. Barbara and Jim also enjoyed traveling the world, notably taking a walking trip across England. Perfect days with Jim, it seems, could be found abroad as well.
Barbara was predeceased by her parents Dorothy (Teed) Soros and George Arthur Bennett; siblings Mary Mordy, George Mariner Bennett, and James Arthur Bennett; first husband Thomas Edward Lee; son Bruce Arthur Lee; and second husband Dr. James Hilton Darragh. She is dearly missed by her sons, Robert and Jacques (Toni) Lee; grandsons Jonah and Thomas Lee; niece Carol Mordy; nephews John and Peter Mordy, and Steven Hannington; countless cousins from the Teed
and Hanington families; stepchildren Ian (Elizabeth), Alex (Linda), and Jane Darragh; seven step-grandchildren; and eight step-great-grandchildren.
We are grateful to the wonderful staff at Amica, as well as at Carlingwood Retirement Community where she enjoyed many happy years.
Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will take place at 10:00 AM on Monday, December 4, 2023, at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave., followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the First Unitarian Congregation.
Wednesday November 22nd 2023
Death notice for the town of: Ottawa, Province: Ontario
death notice Barbara Ann Lee Darragh Wednesday November 22nd 2023
obituaries notice Barbara Ann Lee Darragh Wednesday November 22nd 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Barbara Ann Lee Darragh Wednesday November 22nd 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.