Obituary of Barbara Coombe

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Barbara L. Coombe, wife, mother, and friend who passed away peacefully in her home with family by her side. Barbara grew up in Northampton, England where as a young girl she experienced the rationing and bombings of the war years, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for the freedoms she experienced later in her life. She immigrated to Canada in 1956, settling in Toronto in 1958 where she worked for Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada). She and her husband Norman G. Coombe brought up their family in Scarborough, where Barbara was an active gardener, upholsterer, and seamstress/sewist. She helped to revitalize the art of decoupage in the city, teaching in the Toronto District School Board’s Continuing Education program for several happy years. She was a proud founding member of the Decoupeur’s Guild of Ontario. Barbara made many friends while travelling around the world in her last decades, creating many joyous memories. Predeceased by her husband in 1999, she was the last of her siblings. Her daughters Rosemary and Sandra are very grateful for the care and support of the excellent staff at the Claremont Retirement Home and the Temmy Latner Palliative Care Team.  If desired, in lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to the Royal Botanical Gardens (http://www.rbg.ca/donateonline) or the Toronto Botanical Gardens (http://41120.thankyou4caring.org) which will support horticultural therapy programs.  A celebration of her life will be held Thursday August 9^th from 2 - 4 pm in the Claremont Retirement Home at 305 Balliol Street, in the eighth-floor lounge.  Condolences, photographs and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.