"Life will take you down many pathways, some will probably surprise you, as they did me, but wherever you walk, I trust that you will feel a sense of hope and security in your choices.”

These are the words Mum wrote to us as a personal gift to commemorate Mother’s Day in the Year 2000. It was appropriately titled: A Mother’s Wish for the Millennium.

A quarter-century later, we find ourselves beginning the new year missing a trailblazer in our family. Our Mum’s journey in this Earthly place has come to an end. A journey she mapped out after coming to terms with her human frailty. Like in life, we united around her as she begins that next adventure, whatever that will be for her. I’m sure it will be a great chapter that embraces her love and caring for all humanity.

In one of her recent FaceTime calls she had every Sunday with one of her children, Mum smiled when saying: “If I come back as a clump of dirt, I hope it will make a difference to this fragile planet”.

Predeceased by her former husband Colin, daughter Elizabeth, parents John and Alice Brown and brother Roger, Barbara is survived by four adult children: Philip (Cindy); Gill (Michael); Alan (Sandra); and Sue (Mike); as well as her sister-in-law Christine in England, nephews Andrew (Lynne) and David (Marzena); eight grandchildren: Michelle; Mark (Candace); Alison (Andrew); Katie (Trell); David (Monika); Alex; Jacob (Laura); Scott (Stephanie); and four great-grandchildren: Bentley; Colin; Landon and Owen (with a fifth great-grandson on the way). There are too many friends and colleagues to list here, but you know who you are and how special you were in the life and communities of Barbara Clay. There are also travellers from across the continent and around the globe who enjoyed the warmth of her and Lynne’s hospitality as proprietors of Brighton House Bed & Breakfast in Saskatoon.

A mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and sister-in-law, it was not an easy road for Mum, nor us at times, but her kids, and later her grandkids, were always steadfast in their love and support of Mum and Gramma Barb.

Mum’s Canadian journey began in 1959 when she and our father, with youngsters Phil and Gill, boarded a ship bound for Canada, leaving behind family, friends, colleagues, and a church life that was filled with promise. They started a new adventure in Northern Ontario, with Alan and Susan being added to this incredible story in the early 1960s.

Over the decades, our parents accepted challenges head on, and in fact welcomed them and exposed the four of us to issues around religion, politics, sexuality, AIDS, religious cults, academia, world events, and national and international travel.

In 1981, our parents took a huge step in this journey when they took on the crusading Anita Bryant in her opposition to gay rights. It was at a rally in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, when our Mum declared her own homosexuality and so began a life as a proud lesbian and champion of the Gay rights movement. This was the early 1980s in Saskatchewan.

As a Raging Granny, our Mum fought for causes that affected the lives of so many, as well as protecting our environment and natural resources. She travelled to Africa in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, helping to educate women and men on safe-sex practices. She travelled to men’s prisons in Canada educating those incarcerated to practice safe sex. As teenagers, the idea of our Mum handing out condoms to male prisoners was a source of amusement.

Always active in her hometowns of Capreol, Ontario and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Mum held leadership roles with Girl Guides of Canada and represented the national Guiding association on the international stage advocating for and providing countless opportunities for girls and youth.

As a ‘Gran’ with Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers Saskatoon, Mum was a vocal advocate for this group who fundraise for the Stephen Lewis Foundation championing health and human rights with community-led partners. She was part of a speakers’ bureau helping to support life-enhancing programs run by grandmothers in Africa.

Mum also found joy in the family tradition of music, and was a member of the Bridge City Chorus, Saskatoon’s only 2SLGBTQ+ choir.

Mum’s parents taught her that to love life and people was far more rewarding than any monetary gains. Her children will jokingly acknowledge that it was a lesson Mum perfected.

A few curves thrown here and there test our ability to strengthen family ties and build character. Our Mum’s legacy is to be a champion for good, to challenge authority when it was the right thing to do, and to love unconditionally. Her faith has been the foundation behind her life. Church and family have been her two anchors.

We’ve lost two great Canadians in our Mum and Dad. We’re sad for their loss, but grateful for their presence and their love, and their contributions to our wonderful world. They taught us a lot.

Rest eternal Mum and may light perpetual shine upon you.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to a charity of your choice.

A celebration of our Mum’s life will take place on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Church Streetsville in Mississauga.

Cremation has taken place.

Condolences may be left for the family by signing the guestbook below.