Barbara WAINRIB

WAINRIB, Dr. Barbara Thelma (née Rubin)
Peacefully, after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's, on Saturday, June 27, 2015. Born on February 25, 1931. Survived by her loving husband of sixty-four years, Charles. Loving mother of Jeannine and Andrew, and loving mother-in-law of Rod Merl. Much beloved grandmother of Rachel Friendly.
Dr. Wainrib was a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in independent practice in Montreal. She was a pioneer and trailblazer for women's rights and gender equality. She was born and raised in New York City and moved to Montreal in 1956 with her husband and two toddlers. She led her MSc. class in clinical psychology at McGill University in 1959 and received her EdD in counseling psychology from the University Of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1976. She enjoyed an amazingly fulfilling career as therapist, author, mentor and adjunct professor at McGill University where she taught graduate level courses in life crisis and trauma, psychosocial oncology, and other related topics for over twenty-three years, all this while raising a beautiful family with her adoring husband Charles. She taught a generation of caregivers how to define their own compassionate skills while counseling thousands of patients and clients on how to deal with and triumph over their own life challenges. She acted as a consultant to groups, organizations and the international media, and ran hundreds of programs dealing with life crisis, trauma, life threatening illness, spirituality, and other aspects of psychological skill development for both professionals and lay people.
She loved her family passionately, including her great fuzzy dogs, Champ, Mokie and Mello. She will be forever remembered for her warmth, her capacity for giving solace, inspiration and great humor. In recent years the scourge of Alzheimer's isolated her from her social and professional activities, while stealing her dignity day by day. It did not, however, stop those lucky enough to know her from keeping the love for her in our hearts.
Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Tuesday, June 30 at 11:00 a.m. Burial on Wednesday, July 1 at 2:00 p.m., at the Mount Lebanon Cemetery, 7800 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY. Contributions in her memory may be made to Alzheimer Groupe (A.G.I.), (514) 485-7233.