“We are such stuff as dreams are made on;
and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
Shakespeare. The Tempest.

Mabel Barbara Whitby (nee Shier), 92, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on July 13, 2023, in Truro, NS. Born in London, England on December 2, 1930, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Mabel (nee Welsher) Shier.

Barbara’s adventurous spirit led her to immigrate to Canada, where she formed a deep and spiritual bond with the land. Homesick and overshadowed by the immensity and vastness of the terrain she now found herself in, she was surprised to discover, in the rocks and sea all around her, an unexpected continuity. Holding the familiar and ancient dark stones in her hands, she was led to explore and make new connections between the prehistoric archaeology she was familiar with in England and the rich history that she recognized was here too embedded, whose life and story was etched in the very stones and artifacts she collected. Her novel work in this field sparked great public interest (she gave many local radio interviews and lectures at the time) which eventually led to the establishment of an archaeological department in Memorial University. This was a life-long interest and she continued to participate in archaeological digs well into her eighties, shovel in hand and a contented gleam in her eye.

Her love of history, and of books and writing (she authored numerous books and short stories) was a passion she maintained throughout her whole life. Among her many interests and loves, and reflected often in her writing, was a compassion for and affinity with elephants. Her connection with elephants began as a child and was cemented afresh during a long stay in Sri Lanka, where she spent time in an elephant orphanage.

A traveler by nature, Barbara did not just visit places but experienced them, making the places she traveled to a part of her life story and her writing. Barbara was a trail blazer – whether as a female archaeologist in a field that had few women, back-pack in hand and thumbing a ride on a passing boat to get to a remote site of interest, to being among the first Catholic women to earn a Master of Divinity degree from the Atlantic School of Theology in the 1970s. In her seventies, she gamely signed up as ship’s crew on an expedition to map the ocean floor. Her life journey was a spiritual quest that found her embarking on many paths and religions, always with a thirst to learn. Her extensive and eclectic library sustained her children and her grandchildren as an invaluable resource for all. No matter the subject, Barbara could produce the perfect book out of thin air.

Barbara is survived and honoured by her two daughters, Philippa Pictou and Andrea Riser; five grand children, Gordon Pictou, Karen Pictou, Amber Colp, Arthur Patterson, and Ilona Patterson; nine great grandchildren, Destiny Pictou, Ansala’wit Pictou, Cedar Pictou, River Pictou, Jenaya Barton-Pictou, Lochlann Pictou, William Pictou, Myia Willcott and Naveya Willcott, and four great great grandchildren, Dallas Pictou, Richard Pictou, Nova Pictou, and Forrest Pictou; a brother, Roger Shier, and three nieces, Jennifer Purchase, Deborah Richardson, and Frances Kershaw.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Peter Shier.

Her sharp wit, inquisitive mind, child-like imagination, and capacity for captivating storytelling will all be missed. But most of all, her always-present love remains in our hearts, always.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elephants and Bees Project at: https://elephantsandbees.com/donate/.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, July 30th from 1pm until time of service at 2pm, both in Colchester Community Funeral Home, 512 Willow St., Truro, NS. Webcasting will begin at 1:58pm (AST) and is available along with online condolences at www.ColchesterCommunity.com