Mrs. Patricia Barr

May 7, 1936 - June 16, 2013

After an extremely courageous and lengthy battle with illness, Patricia passed away peacefully in her home in High River, Alberta at the age of 77 years. She is survived by her daughters, Laura Cooper of Vancouver, Roberta of New York City, and Kara (Sioux) of Calgary; mother Minnie Giebelhaus; brother Rodney; sister Joanne Bates, members of the Barr Family, as well as many extended family members. Patricia is predeceased by her adoring husband Gordon; father William; first husband Richard Cooper; brother Ronald and sister Wanda Rothe. Pat was born in Vegreville, Alberta and raised on a farm, from an early age demonstrated her keen interest in helping others, especially in caring for her younger twin sisters. She was determined to pursue her passion of having a career in nursing, and began her training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital College of Nursing in Edmonton. During this period she met Rick Cooper. In 1958, she graduated as a Registered Nurse moving swiftly into professional roles at the Charles Camsell Hospital, further developing her dedicated belief in advocacy for supportive, comprehensive patient care. In 1962, the young couple married and moved to Calgary to start a family. Pat always maintained a strong dedication to family activities and with her work at the Colonel Belcher Hospital in Calgary for over 20 years; she held various positions as a nursing supervisor, administrator, and later taught nursing skills to young students throughout the Calgary region until retirement. Pat was a very creative soul and enjoyed drawing, painting, ceramics, gardening, and bird watching. She was an excellent seamstress, both for herself and her children, designing and assembling many costumes, along with Christmas stockings for multiple generations of family. After her gradual move into retirement, she met her loving companion Gordon and after a lengthy courtship they married in 2000, moving to the relaxed setting of High River. Pat loved to be physically active and was involved in tai-chi, cycling, a local hiking group, the Grandparent Reading Program in elementary schools, and enjoyed traveling with Gordon to Greece, Cuba and throughout Canada. Her steadfast positive outlook, graceful spirit, and elegant compassionate presence touched numerous lives. A special heartfelt thanks goes out to all of her health caregivers from the region. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The High River Hospital Foundation (590 9th Ave. SW, High River, AB, T1V 1B3 or The Calgary Foundation www.thecalgaryfoundation.org. A Celebration of Pat’s Life will be held on Friday, June 28th at11:30 a.m. at the Okotoks United Church (43 Riverside Drive, Okotoks). To send condolences and view Pat’s Tribute Page please visit www.lylereeves.com . Caring for the family is Lyle Reeves Funerals of High River (Craig Snodgrass) 403.652.4242.