March 31, 1946 – February 14, 2023
Balbir Kaur Matharu, the beloved wife of Jagjit Singh Matharu, mother of four, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, following a lengthy battle with cancer and other health conditions at the age of 76. She managed her illness with courage, strength and grace. In her final moments, she was surrounded at home by her family who she adored more than anything else in the world.
The daughter of late S. Isher Singh and late Balwant Kaur Phull, was born in Banga, India. She led a very energetic life touring all of India as the captain of the Punjab Volleyball team in high school and college while receiving her Bachelor of Arts in History. She married Jagjit on October 6, 1964, in Jalandhar, India and moved to Nawanshahr, India to reside with her husband’s family. She had four children, and spent her life raising her kids, nieces, and nephews, whom she cherished dearly.
In 1993, Balbir immigrated to Calgary, Canada, with her husband and youngest son to be closer to her eldest daughter and her family. She spent her time in Calgary raising her grandchildren with love and worked as a food demonstrator at Costco – mainly to socialize with people and make new friends, something she was very proud of.
She was the life of the party. She had a very active social life. Balbir loved to dance, sing songs, and make others laugh. Knitting, crocheting, and sewing were her passions that she passed along to her children and grandchildren. She loved to travel and made several trips to India, Vancouver, Toronto, the US, and the Bahamas. She often said that the best moments of her life were spending time with her grandchildren and socializing with friends and family.
In 2018, Balbir was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. She went through chemotherapy and successfully went into remission. She spent the following few years going on weekly sushi and shopping dates with her daughter up until 2021 when her health started slowly declining. The last year was the most difficult, however, she was always surrounded by family and remained positive until the very end.
Balbir will be lovingly remembered by her husband Jagjit, sons Jagbir (Parminder) and Baljit (Sonia) and daughters Lily (Jarnail) and Laddie (Hardeep). She was adored by her grandchildren: Shelly (Gursharan and great grandson Ekam), Liza (Simran and great granddaughter Ella), Harry, Jared, Jasleen, Kanu, Aleena and Veer. She is survived by her loving brother Jagmohan, sisters, Baggo and Ruby, and sister-in-law Surinder, and is fondly remembered by many nephews and nieces around the world.
The family would like to thank everyone for their condolences and thoughts during this difficult time. Balbir will be missed dearly and will never be forgotten.