SHIPMAN, Barbara Shipman

It is with great sadness that the family of Barbara Ann Ethel Shipman (nee Brault) announce she passed away suddenly at Carleton Place Hospital on January 29, 2026, at the age of 79 years. Barbara was born in Belleville, Ontario on August 22, 1946.

Barbara is survived by her loving partner Steve Gilders of Carleton Place, beloved daughter Darlene Peeling (Marvin), grandchildren Spencer and Savannah Snedden. She will also be greatly missed by her siblings Ronnie Brault (Carolyn), Laurie Goedhuis (John), Jeffrey Brault (Sylvia) and extended family; sister-in-law Donna Gilders (Ron), stepson Michael Gilders (Mireille) and his children Anna, Elyssa and Skylar. As well, she will be remembered by her stepchildren and their children Tom Shipman (Joanie) and Olivia, Debbie Shipman (Richard) and Kaitlyn. Barbara was predeceased by her parents Ruth and Omer Brault, and husband Thomas Shipman.

Barbara went to school in Hawkesbury, Ontario and moved to Ottawa for a short time to work for Bell Canada. Thereafter she moved to Montreal, Quebec where she was employed by Canadian Marconi Corporation for many years and following that also greatly enjoyed working for Sean Jackson Installations until her retirement. She moved to Perth in 2002 and resided there until 2024, then moved to Carleton Place, Ontario.

In her personal notes, we found these special written words for her family: “I want my family to remember me for my kindness and understanding and how very much I loved them all.” A message for my family and friends: “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for always being in my life. The wonderful memories I carry of all of you will stay with me always even in heaven”. Her favourite place was “under the stars, no matter where I lived, but especially after I moved to the country (Port Elmsley, Perth, On) and retired. The full moons always blew me away and Jeff and I even shared them over the phone.”

A special note from her partner Steve: “A thousand or more tears were shed that day when Barbara passed away. She loved angel figurines and others. The angels were waiting for her. Will love you forever till we meet again. Steve”.

Though our hearts are deeply saddened, we are so very grateful for the time we had with her. We will always remember her great warmth, generous nature, kindness to all, her love of music  (she always wanted Steve to play his guitar for her) and her favourite songs were “May Each Day” by Andy Williams, “AL DI LA” by Connie Frances, “Unchained Melody” by Righteous Brothers. She was a true animal lover and she had many pets throughout her life, including her beloved cats Shadow and Mitsy, her black Labs Noble and Duchesse and her horse Gypsy. Her favourite flower was a sunflower.

Her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. The family would like to thank Dr. Boyd and the entire staff of the emergency department at the Carleton Place Hospital for their heroic efforts to save Barbara’s life.

A celebration of life will be held at The Barker Funeral Home, 19 McArthur Ave, Carleton Place, on Saturday, February 14th, 2026 from 11am to 2pm.  Words of remembrance will be shared at 12:30 p.m. This portion of the event will be livestreamed and may be viewed on the Barker Funeral Home YouTube Channel. Please note that the livestream will begin approximately 10 min prior to the event.