Educator, municipal official, community advocate.
Born at Edmonton, Alberta on 15 July 1943, eldest son of baker Benjamin “Ben” Barlow (1915-2005) and Florence Ellen “Toots” Banta (1919-2009), he moved with his family to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1948 before coming to Winnipeg in 1956. He attended Sargent Park Junior High School, Technical Vocational High School, and Daniel McIntyre Collegiate then he received a BA degree in Political Science, History, and English at United College and a BEd degree at the University of Manitoba.
In his youth, he worked as an engineer’s assistant during construction of the Atomic Energy of Canada Laboratories at Pinawa, was a gas jockey at Andy’s Texaco on Portage Avenue, delivered pizzas for Pizza Place, and was a manual pin setter at a bowling alley. After completing his postsecondary education, he became a schoolteacher at Killarney Collegiate for two years and spent 35 years teaching English and Drama at the Gimli High School (1969-2004).
In mid-1977, he married schoolteacher Jocelyn Iris Hettich and they subsequently had three daughters and a son. A proud advocate for his adopted community of Gimli, he served as a Councillor (1980-1989, 2006-2010) and Mayor (1989-2002), during which time he oversaw its amalgamation with the Rural Municipality of Gimli. He was a founding board member for the New Iceland Heritage Museum and the Gimli Cable TV Co-op, and Chair of the Lake Winnipeg Visitors Centre Committee. Having been musical from childhood, he performed alto horn with the Rupertsland Brass Band (1996-2020).
He was also active in public policy initiatives. He chaired the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board (2003-2010) that produced a comprehensive report on the remediation of Lake Winnipeg. He also served on the Manitoba Water Council (2007-2014), Manitoba Municipal Board (2003-2016, Chair 2013-2016), and Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium (2001-2023).
Widely respected for his community service, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the International Rotary Foundation (2018) and received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2023).
He died at Gimli on 19 December 2023.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Paulson House / Barlow House (Fourth Avenue, Gimli, RM of Gimli)
“High marks in music festival,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 March 1960, page 10.
“Evergreen School Division notes,” Arborg Lake Centre News, 17 May 1977, page 12.
“From under the hat of Gail Hock,” Arborg Lake Centre News, 13 September 1977, page 3.
Obituary [Benjamin Barlow], Winnipeg Free Press, 19 January 2005.
Obituary [Florence Ellen Barlow], Winnipeg Free Press, 24 June 2009.
Obituary [William Carl Barlow], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 December 2023.
We thank Jocelyn Barlow for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 30 December 2023
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