Barbara Loh
elevated zqzPC February 3, 1926 – September 23, 2024
elevated zqzPC Visitation
Tuesday October 1, 2024 from 11:00 am to 1:15 pm
elevated zqzPC Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, ON, L3T 3Z6
elevated zqzPC Funeral Mass
Tuesday October 1, 2024 at 1:30 pm
elevated zqzPC Chapel of St. Joseph – Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
elevated zqzPC To View the Funeral Mass- Click Here
elevated zqzPC Interment
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
8361 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON, L3T 2C7
elevated zqzPC Section 37
elevated zqzPC Obituary
elevated zqzPC It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Barbara Loh who left us peacefully on September 23, 2024, surrounded by the love of God and her family. She was 98 years old.
elevated zqzPC Barbara was predeceased by her parents Liu Xian Tang and Liu Dong Lian Qin, loving husband James (2004) and daughter Judith (2014), two sisters and six brothers. She is survived by her children Charles, David (Emily), Jane (Al), Peter (Cecilia), John (Sara), Julie (Edmond), Thomas and son-in-law David. Barbara was a loving grandmother to: Lester (Teresa), Rebecca (Aaron), Maria, Gabriel (Sue), Nathaniel, Ariel, Charlene (Scott), Jonathan (Claire), Leo, Michelle (RT), and Rachel; and great grandmother to: Audrey, Noemi, Kier, Tabitha, Malcolm, Jacob, Emily, Eloise, Nora, Tyler and Oliver.
elevated zqzPC Barbara was born in Shanghai, China. She married James in 1943 and raised a family of eight. They made several major moves in their lifetime: from Shanghai to Taipei, a short stay in St. Paul Minnesota, and later to Toronto Canada. Each time, overcoming hardships, and made the best possible life for their children. As a devout Catholic, she loved the Lord and serve in the church community faithfully. In addition to teaching catechism classes to adults and youth, she helped new immigrants in the parish, with little or no knowledge of the language, to settle their lives here in Canada.
elevated zqzPC Barbara’s departure leaves a void that cannot be filled, but her spirit will continue to live on in the hearts of those whose lives were touched by her. Her legacy lives on in her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren: a kind heart, the insatiable yearning to learn, the curiosity of all things new, artistic aspirations, fashion, solid work ethics, and her love expression – food.
elevated zqzPC In celebrating Barbara’s life, let us remember her unwavering commitment to God, the love that she showered her family and the boundless giving that defined her. As we bid goodbye to a woman cherished by all, we find solace in knowing that she has entered eternal rest, surrounded by that same faith, hope and love that illuminated her journey here on earth. She will be missed dearly by all.
elevated zqzPC The family would like to thank staff members and private caregivers who provided medical and gentle everyday care to Barbara at the Houses of Providence over the past 12+ years. Donations In Memory of Barbara may be made through the St. Michael’s Foundation, designated to the Family Council at the Houses of Providence.
elevated zqzPC The donation link is: https://stmichaelsfoundation.com/BarbaraLoh
My dear God mother Barbara, you are forever missed, you are loved dearly by our family members. Rest in Peace in God’s arms.
Julie, we are deeply sorry for the loss of your mom Barbara. She will be remembered not only for the special moments we all shared but for the lasting impact she had on the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this incredibly difficult time. May the memory of her wonderful spirit bring each of you comfort and strength in the days ahead.
May your mom’s soul Rest In Peace 🕊️, and may she watch over you all forever.
Mr.K, Siva & Linda
our Aunt Barbara is one of the dearest sister among all Liu’s family most sweet and kind person as every one just love her the way she was , we will always remember her smile and religious gesture, we all will miss her very much and her legacy is a blessing for all of us , now resting in Peace with whole family in Heaven
When we visited from Illinois Aunt Barbara always welcomed us into her home with a warm greeting, family hug and delicious meal. We will miss you.
Eternal rest grant unto 乐妈妈, a humble and faithful catechist of your Word,O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
樂媽媽 我們很想您，把您的芳表永留心中，愿在眾天使
的擁護中，您歡快的升天，得享永福。，
Dear Julie,
Our deepest sympathies to you, Edmond and all family members who are mourning the loss of your dear Mom. What an inspiring life she has led! Barbara has left a hole in your hearts that cannot be filled but her spirit will live on through her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Julie, you have worked tirelessly to improve life at the Houses of Providence not only for your Mom but for all the residents. What a gift! Big thank you.
May your dear Mom rest in peace. Home at last.
Paul & Nora Sullivan
My dear Godmother,
I have been missing you, and I will not forget your kindness and guidance.
Dear family of Auntie Barbara Loh,
Sharing our condolences on her passing and appreciation for the life she lived. As the sister to Alice Liu Shen (the Shen family matriarch), Auntie Barbara meant so much as a trusted older sister forging an exemplary path as well as a beloved confidant to share life’s eventfulness.
We so loved our own moments where we got to share time with Auntie Barbara and remember her warmth and strength. And see it in her descendants in so many varied and beautiful ways. What a gift she has been to all our lives.
May God’s Love be with You!
Shirley Shen Hoa and family
樂媽駕鶴西去。善良的樂媽，我不捨得她離去，我在她身邊多年分享了她很多很多快樂，祝福她老人家在天國里與樂伯伯團聚，永遠快樂。樂媽她在我心中，音容常存。永遠想念她。
Dear Julie and Family,
My heartfelt condolences on the immense loss of your dear mother. May God grant you strength during this difficult time and lift your heavy hearts. And may you find comfort and peace in the all the wonderful shared memories. May your mother’s spirit rest in peace as she enters God’s kingdom.
-Yvette
Text message from Alice Liu Shen, auntie Barbara’s younger sister and my mother –
我的三姊是一位非常可愛，愛主神的姊姊，她的兒子、樂俊仁神父是一位忠實，的主襥人。
對！主很好，照顧我的姊姊的。辛辛苦苦的一生。
我什麼事都忘記了。終於她很照顧我的。
三阿姨有八位兒女，仁仁神父是第一位，是位神父，一生都忠心的待逢主，最小的是Julie，每日照顧媽媽。
我為三阿姨，的生世，感謝🙏神。她是多麼敬愛主神的，人生。幫助人，特別幫助了我。
「那美好仗我已經打過了，當跑的路我已經跑盡了，所信的道我已經守住了。 從此以後，有公義的冠冕為我存留，就是按著公義審判的主到了那日要賜給我的；不但賜給我，也賜給凡愛慕他顯現的人」 。- 弟茂德後書4: 7～8。樂媽媽引導我們走近天主的殿堂，她慈悲善心，為主事功，經年累月，奉獻家里的客廳，招待自製點心，教導我們研讀聖經，不厭不倦，事隔多年，至今歷歷在目，難以忘懷。天主召喚義人，妳是義人，妳安息吧！感恩天主的恩典！
– 朱聲斌和中華殉道聖人堂所有的慕道同學們
I’d like to share with the family some of my remembrances of my dear sister-in-law Barbara. My memory goes back to 1943, the night before my brother James and Barbara’s wedding. It is an old Chinese tradition to choose a young boy to keep the groom company the night before his wedding. So being the youngest brother, I was the chosen one. I remember James being so excited and happy; his joy flowed out in his singing Chinese Peking opera and then singing, Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s, ‘Always in My Heart’. I could see that my brother James was deeply in love with his soon-to-be bride Barbara. Barbara came from a large family as well (Liu family) 7 boys, 4 girls, and she was the prettiest among them. We all lived on the 3rd floor of our family’s residence in Shanghai at the time. Before the wedding, I remember my parents had a modification made to the 3rd floor – adding two large rooms plus a large bathroom and utility room.
In 1948, before the Communists took over Shanghai, we evacuated to Taipei, Taiwan. James and Barbara lived on the 3rd floor of a 3-story building in downtown Taipei. Below was our family’s Tai-Kong food store. I remember how much my brother James liked music and Hollywood movie tunes. James and Barbara owned a hand-crank phonograph to play 78 rpm records. At lunch time, they would listen to songs like ‘Cruising Down the River’, ‘Moonlight Bay’, ‘Goodnight Irene’, and ‘Seven Lonely Days’. I remember Barbara was very interested in learning ballroom dancing. They had their closest friends, twin sisters, (surname Chen), come to teach us the jitterbug. I remember it being so much fun.
Later we moved from downtown Taipei to the suburbs, Tai Bing Ling. We had a big piece of land divided into 3 adjacent parcels for my parents, my eldest brother’s family, and James and Barbara’s family. I remember Barbara as a ‘tiger’ mom. She would only allow her son John to play for 1 hour after he finished all his homework. Her loving devotion and discipline produced 8 successful children – one priest, two with PhD’s, and many entrepreneurs. I also remember Barbara and the family as very devoted Catholics, going to mass every day at the Catholic church next to our house. At that time, the Cardinal Ting Gun Shin lived right behind us. When the family would go to church, and see the Cardinal, they would all genuflect and show their reverence and devotion.
One thing that stood out to me about Barbara was that she did everything with all her heart and strove for perfection. Whatever she started to learn, something new, such as western baking of bread or cake, she always did to perfection. Her cakes came out like they were from a fancy bakery. And this was when she did not even have an oven – she used a rudimentary tin can box made to put on top of a coal cooking stove.
After many years passed, James and Barbara moved the family to Toronto, Canada. She learned Chinese painting, starting from scratch, and became quite accomplished. She also joined a karaoke singing group in Toronto and sang exceptionally well. Anything she learned she learned with excellence.
Barbara was devoted to her faith and the entire family was involved. I remember visiting and seeing what a big presence the family had at the church. James played the organ, the daughters were in the church choir, and the sons were altar boys. The whole Loh family was involved and hosted Bible class in their basement as well. Barbara helped a lot of students from China and Taiwan.
I remember one event in particular from my brother James’ 80th birthday. There was a big party/gala event with invited family and friends and church friends at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Toronto. In the big ballroom, the children put a chair in the middle and asked Barbara to sit there. James knelt on one knee and sang to her ‘Let Me Call You Sweetheart’. It was a beautiful testimony of how dearly they loved each other. There are so many happy memories that will remain in our hearts.
Another thing I will remember about James and Barbara is their devotion to our parents. When we were in Taipei, they would take the time to visit every evening to chat with our parents about the family business and about what was going on in the world. During those last months of my father’s life when he was sick with throat cancer and high blood pressure, Barbara would come to his room and take his blood pressure every night. They were so close to our parents and truly honored and loved them.
I will really miss her.
Louis and May Loh
Beautiful story of Loh family in Shanghai and Taipei. I am sharing them with my kids. Tony Chien
As a child and even as an adult Auntie Barbara would call me Jen-Kai. I enjoyed the times she and Uncles James visited us in Mohegan Lake, NY (1970s) or Thornwood, NY (1980s). I knew that when they visited our meals at home would improve by a lot! One of my favorite summer vacations as a child was when we visited the Loh’s in Toronto, Canada (late 1970s). In the 1990s Auntie Barbara and Uncle James came out to the SF/Bay Area to visit my parents (Louis and May Loh) and stopped by my house. We also went to a Mediterranean belly dancing restaurant. Those days were so fun! We’ll miss you Auntie Barbara. My condolences to all of Auntie Barbara’s children and family members.
To the family of Aunt Barbara Loh:
I have such wonderful memories of Aunt Barbara especially from the summer of 1974 when our family spend the summer in Taiwan. Uncle James and Aunt Barbara lived next to Grandmother, so we visited often. I played with Julie and Tom and Aunt Barbara was my very kindest Aunt who even spoke some English to me. Later, we visited Uncle James and Aunt Barbara when they lived in Minnesota and Toronto. I know my mother Josephine Yu had all the respect and love for her older brother James and her sister-in-law Barbara as she visited them in Toronto too. We are saddened that her earthly life is over, but she touched many people and now is in heaven with so many other loved family members.
Love Jeff Yu and Family (son of Josephine Loh Yu)