June 21, 1931 - May 18, 2021
Herb peacefully passed at his home in Barrie surrounded by his family on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 at the age of 89 years. He is survived by his beloved wife of 68 years, Sheila (nee Cairns). Loving father of Deborah (Barrie) Hayes, Joyce (David) Birimcombe, Susan (Ascenzio) Farina, Wayne Fowler (Judy Dunsmore) and Gordon Fowler. Proud grandfather of Ryan (Corey) Hayes, Lindsay Hayes (Andrew), Alex (Gord) Hartley, Stacey (Bobby) Gibbons, David (Brittany) Birimcombe, Shannon Farina, Domenic (Loie) Farina, Matthew Farina, Jenny Dunsmore, Amy Dunsmore (Jeff), Donald (Christina) Dunsmore, Rachel Thompson (Mark), Amanda Fowler, James Fowler and Bryan Fowler (Sarah). Loving great-grandfather of 21. Sadly missed by his brother-in-law and dear friend, George Cairns, and his many much-loved nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents William and Elizabeth, and his siblings Lloyd (Gertie, Doreen) Fowler, Velma (Wilf) Barber and William (Ruth) Fowler. Herb was a longtime member of the Kerr Masonic Lodge No. 230 and the Rameses Shriners Club.
Herb loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was born in Toronto and raised on the family farm in Thornhill, where he grew to love country living and carpentry. As a young man, he moved to Toronto where he met the love of his life, Sheila Cairns. They eventually settled in Barrie, where they lovingly raised five children and built several successful family businesses (most recently V.I.P. Uniform Services). An outstanding carpenter, Herb not only built numerous beautiful family homes and cottages, but passed these carpentry skills on to several grandchildren.
Herb developed a passion for aviation and became a pilot at the age of 40. He loved flying to remote fishing locations, attending annual “fly-ins” and taking Sheila on regular flying vacations throughout Canada and the U.S. in his beloved Cessna 185. Eventually the time came to trade in his plane for an RV, and the adventures continued. Herb drove that RV until he was 88, visiting a multitude of destinations, and taking annual fishing trips to Lawaganau Lake with Sheila, son Wayne and furry friend, Buddy.
Herb was a loving and devoted husband and father, and a very proud grandfather and great-grandfather. He treasured his immediate and extended family and his many dear friends. He will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.
Herb fought a long and courageous battle with cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He beat the odds many times, telling family he kept fighting because he loved us all so much. Sadly, the battle ended just one month before his 90th birthday. The family wishes to express our deep gratitude to Herb’s outstanding medical team at RVH who took such good care of him, including Dr. Jacky Lai, Dr. Sara Rask, Dr. Carmen Barnett, Dr. Renee Hanrahan, Dr. Sheilagh Sanders, Dr. Mayur Govind, Dr. Robert Leslie, Dr. Adam Gladwish, Dr. Gordon Crawford, and Dr. Wijdan Fadholi. Very special and warm thanks to all the wonderful nurses and PSWs who cared for him, especially nurse Katherine Coes and PSW Rosa, and to his amazing spiritual care clinician, Catherine Ruiz-Gomar. We will always remember the kindness shown to our dear father during his challenging illness.
A livestreamed service will occur on Friday, May 21st, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. that guests may view by clicking this link. This link will be shared 10 minutes prior to the start of the service time. A recorded version will be made available. Private family interment to take place at the Barrie Union Cemetery, 338 Sunnidale Rd., Barrie. Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation (Canada) or to a charity of choice and would be greatly appreciated by the family.