Barbara J. FOSDICK

June 28, 1924 - October 27, 2022

Barbara Fosdick has died.
Our dear old soldier Mum has left the field. Barbara is survived by family, and extended circles of relatives and dear friends who will miss her and celebrate her memory, most especially her daughter, Gillian, and son, Bill (Melanie), grandchildren Will (Jill); Elizabeth; Torie (Mike); great grandchildren, Alexandra; James and Emma.
Born in England in 1924, Barbara was in her 99th year. At seventeen, the War was on and she leapt into action. Joining the Army, she served in the ATS, a Mixed (Male & Female) Battery of Anti-Aircraft gunners. She was immensely proud to be on the first all-women's Fire Control Team credited with bringing down an enemy aircraft. At the war's end, she came to Canada, on her own. She met Bill Fosdick, another Veteran, home from the war. They married and raised their children in Edmonton. The family moved to Victoria in 1968 and have called the west coast home for 55 years.
Barbara retired from her work at the McPherson Library at the University of Victoria in 1989. The last 33 years of her life have been the very best of all. She was an extremely proud Grandmother and was so thrilled to be a Great Grandma. She loved to travel. And gamble. And sing. We laughed a lot. A speaker with the Veteran's Bureau, Barbara shared her stories of the war with thousands of local school children at Remembrance Day Assemblies. An Honorary Lifetime member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Barbara had served as President of the Women's Ex-Service Branch until they stood down in 2009. She was an Olympic Torch Bearer, as well as a recipient of the Minister of Veteran's Affairs Commendation and the Queen's Jubilee Medal.
Barbara was a game old girl of the 'can-do' tribe. She could bake a pie, bind a wound, splice a wire, write a story or quilt an applique picture. She was practically famous for her Welsh Cakes and Cheese Krispies. We loved her dearly. A life-long Anglican and a faithful member of St. Philip parish for thirty years, she made the transition to St. Mary's Oak Bay in August, 2022 after the traditional service at St. P. ended.
Always a great believer in a good send-off, she would like you to join us in a service of joyful thanksgiving for a life well-lived: St. Mary the Virgin, Anglican Church, Oak Bay, 1710 Elgin Street on Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 2:30 PM. The Rev. Canon Craig Hiebert and the Rev. Dr. John MacQuarrie presiding. If you would like to make a donation in her memory, her children suggest that you support the local the Poppy Fund. Please buy a poppy and wear it in memory of our dear mum.
carefuneral.com