Kelly Rider and her Mom, Barb, pictured the last time they went to the ballet together before the pandemic.
Kelly Rider and her Mom, Barb, pictured the last time they went to the ballet together before the pandemic.Barbara Rider was a lovely woman who always had a smile on her face and gave back to her community through volunteering whenever her talents were
needed.
When Barb died suddenly on June 10, 2021, it came as no surprise to Kelly, Barb’s daughter that a portion of her mother’s estate was to go to Hospice Care Ottawa.
Barb had seen the importance of hospice care in our community. In 2010, Barb’s mother died peacefully at the May Court Hospice. When Barb’s husband was dying of cancer, she did not want him dying in hospital, so she worked with the community nurses at hospice and the palliative care doctors to keep him at home throughout his illness. After he died at home, Barbara accessed bereavement services at Hospice Care Ottawa. She later became involved as a volunteer, helping out at special events.
“When I think of Barb it makes me smile,” says Ruth Cameron, former Special Events Coordinator at Hospice Care Ottawa. “When doing fundraising events Barb would help out any way she could. She made beautiful quilts for our auctions and even used her sewing skills for items needed in the hospice residence.”
Before Barb’s husband passed away, they updated their Wills to include a percentage of their estate to be donated to Hospice Care Ottawa. For some family members, hearing about a gift in a Will to a charitable organization can come as a surprise. Talking about estate planning can be a difficult conversation to have, but Kelly understood what Hospice Care Ottawa meant to her mom and knows it simply was the right thing to do.
“Just do it, have the discussion,” Kelly says about talking about a charitable gift in your Will. “Know you are doing good for all who enter Hospice Care Ottawa. At some point, you or someone you know will need hospice care.”
Barb Rider was much loved. If you needed anything, Barb was there, caring, always with a smile, always ready to help in any way. She was one of a kind and will be missed by her family, many friends, and those whose lives she touched along the way. Barb’s legacy of caring for others will live on through her bequest to Hospice Care Ottawa.