The Canadian hockey community mourns the loss and celebrates the life of Barb Hart Harris
Field Hockey Canada was saddened this week to hear of the passing of Barb Hart Harris, an incredible woman and contributor to the Canadian hockey community. Barb was a 2020 Field Hockey Canada inductee and a lifelong builder of the sport of Field Hockey in Canada. Our thoughts are with Barb’s family and friends during this time.
Obituary
With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Barbara Elizabeth (Hart) Harris at her home on July 21, 2026. At 91, Barb is predeceased by her husband, B. Gregg Harris; her daughter, Gayle E. J. Harris; and her parents, Cecil and Grace Hart (née Storey). She is survived by her siblings R. Gordon Hart and Jeannine Robinson (née Hart), nieces and nephews, and her beloved grandson Matthew E. Harris. Besides the great loss to her family and friends, she will be remembered deeply by the countless people who she helped and inspired through her philanthropic work supporting education, sport, and health research.
Barb was born in Burnaby and spent most of her adult life in the city. Throughout her life, Barb earned qualifications at the University of British Columbia, Fredensborg College, Dunfermline College, BC Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University. She was an Air Cadet while attending UBC. Barbara spent many years teaching PE, math and ESL at Cariboo Hill Secondary School. After retiring from teaching, her and Gregg, the love of her life, continued their world travels and completed visiting every continent.
Barb was a generous and formidable person. She led many philanthropic projects, such as overseeing of the Terry Fox Route in Burnaby’s Central Park (which earned her the Burnaby Local Hero 2007), endowments at both SFU and UBC, supporting the Children’s Hospital to find a cure for Long QT Syndrome (the heart disease that took her daughter), BC Cancer and bursaries at the Surrey Public Library.
She pioneered women’s field hockey, organized tournaments, and served as Vice-President of the 1979 Women’s International Field Hockey Tournament Society. In her later years, she passionately recorded the achievements of many important field hockey figures and nominated those she deemed worthy into various sports halls of fame. She herself was inducted into the Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame (Class of 2020), the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder in Field Hockey in 2025, and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2026.
Her sense of humour and positivity persisted until the very end and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Commemorative Gathering
- A commemorative gathering will be held at SFU – Halpern Centre, 8888 University Dr E, Burnaby, BC on August 8th, 2026, 9:30-11:00 am.
- All are welcome to drop in; an RSVP would be appreciated RSVP@waskasoo.ca
- In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the BC Cancer Foundation, Terry Fox Foundation, or BC Children’s Hospital.
