Barbara Joan Gowan Campbell

1932 - 2021

BARBARA JOAN GOWAN CAMPBELL (nee Smyth) October 14, 1932 - April 20, 2021 Barbara Joan Gowan Campbell (nee Smyth) has passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Village of Arbour Trails retirement home in Guelph, aged 88. Barbara grew up in Agincourt, and graduated with a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Toronto, where she met her future husband, John (d. 2016). She was a full-time stay-at-home Mum until their three children had finished high school. She then worked at Trinity College library while also studying for a Library Science degree, and was involved for many years with the University of Toronto Book Sale. A lover of music, Barbara was a long-standing and dedicated member of the choir at the Church of St. Andrew in Scarborough, and was a subscriber to both the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. She was also a member of the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Barbara was an avid reader all her life, and also enjoyed puzzles of all kinds, knitting and travel. Although Barbara and John divorced, they remained firm friends with great liking and respect between them. Barbara will be missed and remembered lovingly by children Alison (John Kirk, d. 2010), Michael (Marguerite) and Rosalie (Rob Rowland), and grandchildren Sasha, Bridget, Gareth, Owen and Rosalie, sister-in-law Rosalie (Ralph Reese), brother-in-law David and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Barbara has been cremated and a memorial service will be held at a later date, at the Church of St. Andrew. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity College at the University of Toronto.