A few of my friends’ kids are graduating from Uni or College and will be starting the first of many jobs aligned with their chosen career path soon. Most will keep to their path for the next 20 or 30 years. Just as I did. Just as their parents did.

It reminds me of the Canadian Seniors who leave their homes in cities and towns all across Canada, converge and then head south on a handful of interstate highways in the fall. When they get to Florida, Arizona or Texas, they “fan out”, find their own special place and “do their own thing”. Golf, Pickle-Ball, Fishing, Seminars, etc.

Instead of being a “team player” retirement celebrates soloists.

When you’re employing three generations: 20 \ 40 \ 60-year-old employees it’s very important to understand their life-style stages because what motivates them varies greatly – regardless of their position and income.  

My mother, who was born in 1921 and lived through the insanity of WWII in Germany, frequently told me that "reality often alters the course of our lives and puts an end to our dreams and plans. But, when one door closes, another usually opens just when and where you lease expect it to do so. You have to have faith and keep your eyes, ears and heart open."  

Henry and Barbara Wehrmann in 1956. 

Obituary  ::  Barbara Julian Wehrmann 

My sister Barbara Julian Wehrmann was born on July 18, 1953 to Julia Franziska Wehrmann (nee Bendzko) and Heinrich Wilhelm Wehrmann, in Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. She was their fifth child and quickly became her father’s favourite.

Her older siblings included Petra Elizabeth, Heinrich Maxamillian, August, and Martin Alexander.

The Wehrmann family emigrated from Bremerhaven, Germany on November 28, 1954 and immigrated to Quebec City, Qc. Canada on December 10, 1954. Their first home in Canada was an apartment at 221 Agusta Ave., in Toronto’s Kensington Market District. From there the family moved to 18 Garden Ave. in 1956, and then to 66 Pine Crest Rd. in the High Park District in 1963.

From there Barbara graduated from Annette Street Public School, Humberside Collegiate, The University of Toronto, and Freiburg University, Germany. In her spare time she studied holistic health and became a highly accomplished Reiki Master.

Her first apartment was at #29 Jane Street – right across the hall from her best friend Rita. A few years later she bought her forever home at #73 Brookside Ave.

Barbara met her life-partner Boris Mario Kaminsky in the summer of 1973 while they both worked in a Toronto photo finishing lab.

Boris, the son of Ivan and Irina Kaminsky, was born on September 11, 1950 in Zagreb, Croatia, grew up in Brazil, and immigrated to Toronto in the early 1970’s.

Barb and Boris celebrated their son Michael's birth on May 26, 1992.

Barbara spent the majority of her career teaching English and German in private schools, corporate offices, and in the Berlitz School of Languages, both in Canada and Germany.

She was her parent’s primary care giver and co-ordinator for ten years.

On July 17, 2024, one day before her 71st birthday, Barbara was diagnosed with stage four lung, liver and intestine cancer.

She died two weeks later on July 30, 2024.

Her life-partner, Boris, died less than a year later on April 29, 2025. 

Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Julia and Heinrich Wehrmann as well as her older brother Henry. 

She will be remembered and missed by her son Michael, his wife Tiffany, remaining sister and brothers; Petra, August, Martin and Frank, as well as their partners, extended family, friends and neighbours.

At Barbara’s request, there was no funeral or a celebration of life.

PEACE     LOVE     UNDERSTANING

Obituary  ::  Barbara Julian Wehrmann

According to the CBC, the upcoming Canadian budget will feature lots of money for new housing, nothing for national or international defense, R&D, business development or our declining per capita productivity. A recent edition of The Economist offered another sobering perspective on individual productivity. Their research suggests that the average "smart" phone owner spends over 4.6 hours a day looking at their phones.

Add to that another 4 hours for housework, excercise and eating, 7 more for sleeep and 2 for commuting to and from work, and you hardly have any time left to "work".  

Vera Anne Kudlac - Obituary

Vera passed away suddenly after an extended illness in Toronto, Ontario on Sunday July 14, 2024.

She was 71. Vera was a Queen's University graduate, an independent, hardworking media practitioner, supportive and dependable friend to many. She loved to play the piano, travel, and take history courses at the University of Toronto. Vera was also a mother to many cats over the years and adored them.