BARBARA ANN MILROY

1929 - 2024

1929 – 2024 Warm, kind and curious, deeply loyal. These are words that describe Barbara Ann Milroy, who died on September 9, 2024, at the age of 95. Born on May 21, 1929, to her British-born parents, George and Gladys Brown, Barbara Ann grew up on Vancouver's west side with her siblings, Helen (Buddy), Jack, and Sally, graduating from Magee High School and then UBC, with a degree in Home Economics. While still in high school, she met the dashing and mischievous love of her life, John Milroy. The two married and a parade of children briskly ensued: Allison, Thomas, Elizabeth, Stephen and Sarah Jane. Family and community service would be at the core of Barbara Ann's life in the years ahead, whether she was raising her own family, tending to her many grandchildren, helping out at St. Mary's Kerrisdale Anglican Church, or volunteering with the Elizabeth Fry Society. Such a description may evoke a kind of bleak piety and self-abnegation, but nothing could be further from the truth. No one could rock a pair of capri pants like Barbara Ann, or dance to Fred Astaire with her sense of glamour and timing, or laugh with her friends with such delight – these women who she held so close throughout her life. No one could whip up a Pavlova on the turn of a dime like her, or corral the troops in the annual frenzy of blackberry jam making at Point Roberts. Her Christmas dinners were the stuff of legend – carolling and forty-foot-long tables gleaming with candlelight, scarlet tablecloths and polished silver, the babies, the grannies and the strays all piled in together. Perhaps Barbara Ann was thinking of Peter 4:8-9: "…above all things have fervent charity among yourselves." Or maybe it just came to her naturally. She made the magic happen. Barbara Ann leaves a legacy to all who knew her. Catch each moment and relish it. Never pass up a chance encounter with a resplendent azalea, or the opportunity for a visit – even if it's on the fly. Barbara Ann was a big believer in the brisk walk – those who accompanied her would find themselves in a lather of sweat alongside her ladylike glow. What better way to celebrate all things bright and beautiful than to step out into the glory of a sunny Vancouver morning? She was tiny but compounded of a kind of tensile vitality and joy that stayed with her long into her later years, and which her family carries forward now that she is gone. Barbara Ann was predeceased by her husband, John Alexander Milroy; and by her daughter, Elizabeth Hart (Andrew Hart). She is survived by her daughters, Allison and Sarah Jane; by her sons, Thomas (Sarah Milroy) and Stephen; by her thirteen grandchildren: Wilson Hart, Foster Hart, Sally Hart (Jordan Ardanaz), Thomas Hart (Rianna Wise), Gabriela Gonzalez-Milroy (Markus Solbach), Roberto Gonzalez-Milroy (Ryanne Gonzalez), Victoria Gonzalez-Milroy, Sutherland Stemo-Milroy (Shae Griffiths), Henry Milroy-West, Anna Milroy-West, Elizabeth Burns (Oliver Burns), Jonathan Milroy (Sophia Milroy), and Nellie Milroy; and by her seven great-grandchildren: Sam, Angus, James, Francesca, Alexandra , Eleanor, and Orvie. The funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on September 30th at St. Mary's Kerrisdale Anglican Church, 2490 West 37th Ave., Vancouver, with refreshments to follow. Donations in Barbara Ann's memory can be made to St. Mary's Kerrisdale through their donate page at www.stmaryskerrisdale.ca, or by calling 604 261-4228.