Barbara Fay was born in Toronto on Thursday December 24, 1953, to her loving Mother Joan (Todd) Henry. She was the eldest of six children: Barb, Linda, Harvey, Edith, Margaret, and Dale. Barb and family relocated to Owen Sound when she was four, where the children attended school. As the oldest in a one parent household, Barb was tasked with many chores around the home to help her mother and assist with her siblings. They moved around a lot, and although things were not always easy, Barb went on to attend O.S.C.V.I. and always described it with pride as the very best school!

By the early 70’s the Henry family had relocated to a farm outside of Desboro. Following high school, Barb found work at Adams Furniture in Owen Sound.  In March of 1972, Barb was enjoying a night out at the Desboro Hotel when she was introduced to a young man by the name of Raymond Fredrick Kreuger. I am told he didn’t need anymore drinks that evening, so Barb bought him a 10 cent ginger ale, and as they say, the rest is history. Ray surprised Barb the next night, as she wasn’t sure he would remember his invitation to a dance. Barb quickly changed and went along for the ride and the young couple hit it off immediately, getting engaged in October of 1972. They were wed the following year, on Saturday, July 14, 1973, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Sullivan Township. Ray, along with his brothers Larry and Jerry and his father Norman, began building the home that they have remained in throughout their lives. Barb continued to work for Adams, until the Kreuger family began to grow in late 1975, with the arrival of Holly, followed by Shelley (1977) and Jason (1980). Barb excelled at motherhood and was always there to support the kids throughout their youth. She was an avid reader and shared her love of reading with her children and more recently her grandchildren. Barb was a fantastic storyteller and could dream up her own stories at will. Her passion for reading led her to volunteer her time at Sullivan Community School, where she spent countless hours helping children learn to read. When it came to her own preferences, Barb loved her romance novels and was often found in her rocking chair by the window either reading or working on her word searches.

Life at home always kept Barb busy. When not caring for her own children, she looked after other children within the community in her home day care. Countless memories were made walking down to the river in Mooresburg for swimming with the cousins, as well as weekend and summer picnics, family fishing and camping trips to Arran Lake and Harrison Park. Back at home, family nights often included board games or a game of cards, particularly Euchre. Every Saturday night the kids were allowed Pepsi and chips as a treat, and Sunday evenings were spent watching the “Wonderful World of Disney”. As a family they experienced several vacations together, with their trip to Florida in 1986, bringing along Aunt Deloris and her enormous VHS video camera being a highlight where they unfortunately were witness to the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The kids also remember their long trip out east, using Norm’s van with Holly and Shelley stuck sleeping in a tent. After the kids had moved away, Barb and Ray enjoyed various bus tours where they visited places like Nashville, Branson Missouri, Mackinac Island and the Tulip festival in Ottawa. A highlight for Barb was a trip to Vegas with a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. At home, Barb enjoyed spending time in the kitchen, particularly baking, and was always known for her famous carrot cake. She also had a fondness for gardening, however, like most of us, was happier when all the work was done and she could sit back and enjoy her flowers. Barb loved her home and was always on top of the most recent trends (thanks in large part to HGTV). She liked redecorating and keeping things current. Anyone who experienced the Kreuger home, found it always immaculately clean and organized, thanks to Barb, where everything had its place. In her down time, Barb liked to sit back and relax to some television, with favourites including “CityLine”, “Wheel of Fortune”, “Ellen DeGeneres”, “Press your Luck” and her beloved soaps including “Another World” and her all time favourite, “All My Children”. When not watching TV, the radio often kept her company, and she was always tuned into CFOS. She was renowned for competing in their regular contests and giveaways, with “Barb from Mooresburg” winning her fair share of prizes. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago, whereby she and Ray enjoyed her final win, a show in Owen Sound where they were able to bring along her mother Joan. Barb enjoyed her beloved canoeing trips and campfires with their close neighbours and friends. Next door, her niece Karen and husband Greg were always there to look out for them and watch the house. “Babes” was Greg’s famous nickname for her that only Greg could get away with. Her taste in music was eclectic, as she enjoyed everything from Celine Dion, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, and everything in between.  She tended to gravitate towards anything from her youth – enjoying the 50’s – 60’s classics.

Barb was a strong woman who always put the needs of her family before her own. She made sure to check in almost daily with her beloved Mom and sister Dale. She loved spending time with family, and absolutely treasured all the family vacations. When it came to the kids, they all enjoyed their one-on-one time with Mom. It didn’t matter if it was an outing exploring antique shops, singing Christmas carols in the car, or daily phone conversations on the way home from work with her “favourite” (he knows who he is!)

Together with Ray, they would travel as much as they could to see their grandchildren’s sporting events, plays or school concerts. Barb was always present with her family, and there to provide advice whether they wanted it or not, as most mothers do! Thankfully these stories, memories and of course, plenty of pictures, will allow these times together to live on for many years to come.

Barb has dealt with her fair share of health challenges throughout the years, especially due to her Rheumatoid arthritis and Graves’ disease. Thankfully, the last few months saw Barb feeling so much better, and she started to once again enjoy daily walks with Ray, and enjoying travelling to visit family and friends. She was admitted to hospital with what was thought to be a virus, and within only 2 days she shockingly passed away at Hanover & District Hospital on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in her 71^st year.

Beloved wife of Ray. Cherished mother of Holly (Jeremy) Farrow of Holland Landing, Shelley Kreuger of St. Thomas and Jason (Lindsay) Kreuger of East Linton. Loving grandmother of Braydon, Aidan, Brooke, Avery, Jaylin and Savannah. Barb will be dearly missed by her mother Joan Henry of Owen Sound, and siblings Harvey Henry of Moosonee, Edith Henry (Dave Marshall) of Hanover, Margaret (Bev) Muzzell of Owen Sound and Dale (Larry) Emmerson of Markdale. She will be fondly remembered by her sister-in-law Debbie Henry of Owen Sound as well as the entire Kreuger family. Barb was predeceased by her sister Linda Henry.

A celebration of Barb’s life will be held at the Tara Legion on Friday, December 13, 2024, from 12 noon – 3 p.m., with words of remembrance at 1 p.m. Private family inurnment in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Arthritis Society Canada would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.