Barbara Davison

Beloved wife of Douglas Gordon Davison, married for 68 years, Lady Barbara passed away peacefully in the palliative care at Cummer Lodge in Toronto. Born in Orillia, Barbara was the second youngest of seven children of Andrew and Mary Hewitt. Her father died in 1939 when Barbara was 9, leaving Mary Barrie to raise the younger children on her own. Her mother died in 1964 in a nursing home after a long and fruitful life. Barbara was predeceased by older siblings Donald, Minnie, John and Norman, and is survived by sisters Janet and Martha, and favourite nephew Paul Tissington.

Barbara grew up in small town Ontario, worked as a teller in the Bank of Montreal and met the love of her life at a Bell party. Married in 1953, Barb & Doug lived first in Hamilton, then Burlington (til 1966), moved to Deux Montagnes near Montreal, and after Expo 67, on to Ottawa in 1968. She will be lovingly remembered by her three sons and their families, George (Dawn, Jordan, Brock & Mackenzie) in Prince George, Jim (Kim, Tom and Gillian) in Toronto and Rob (Lynn) in Calgary.

Once the boys were old enough, Barbara worked part-time for many years behind the ladies accessories counter at Ogilvy’s, Billings Bridge Plaza, and loved every minute of interacting with customers. Curling in winter and bridge club throughout the year provided an active social life. A life-long knitter (everyone who knew her had socks, touques or tea cosies), Barbara took up hooking: she would often introduce herself as a hooker and get a big laugh when she explained that she just hooked rugs. Barb and Doug travelled extensively, both within Canada & the US, as well as Britain and Europe. They spent many happy days travelling with Rhoda and Dick Atkinson and David and Mary Timms. Barbara especially loved Great Britain, Newfoundland & British Columbia, visiting each several times. Summer holidays were spent at the Davison’s cottage on Lake of Bays, which passed to Doug & Barb in 1979. Barb would walk down the road every day to get the mail and talked to everyone along the way. Or they’d host long-time friends like Dick, now with Marg, Audrey and Bill, and Ada and Morley, who visited almost every year. A special relationship developed with the Timms family, the summer’s highlight was the annual Unbirthday party, where everyone got to celebrate, open presents and eat cake (or pie), not just Doug! Winters saw Barb & Doug off to Florida to visit cousin Helen or snowbird friends.

For most of her life, Barbara was the centre of the family, keeping in touch with relatives and friends, always talking (sometimes too much for Doug!), always so personable and down-to-earth. Alzheimers robbed her of that, as recent memories disappeared before old ones, then she lost the ability to knit or remember the plot in a book or TV show. Finally, a stroke early in 2018 meant she could no longer live in their Ottawa townhouse. The move to Forestview Retirement Residence in Toronto was good for a while, but by the time the COVID pandemic hit, she needed more care than the retirement home could provide. The move to Cummer Lodge and quarantine in the midst of the pandemic isolated her even more. Doug visited her every day that he could, just to be with her and to hold her hand, but all her memories were gone. It is a sad way to live out one’s final years, but Barbara, loving wife and Mom, leaves us with so many fond memories that it’ll hardly seem she’s gone.

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