Even as the City hears of the passing of Barbara Turnbull, the massive admiration for her unconquerable spirit lives with the anger of what happened to her that quiet evening in September in 1983. A happy 18-year-old making pocket money at a convenience store was gunned down at the end of a late-night shift. The website of her own foundation recalls how the unspeakable violence affected the entire country. It would come to be considered by police as the “The Barbara Turnbull Era.” It signaled a time of random madness that still condemns us It is a miracle that Barbara survived, much less succeeded to a productive life as a writer, friend and role model to so many. Her foundation recalls: “While in the hospital, Barbara’s first battle was to live. She had to learn to breathe again, without the aid of a respirator. And when reality set in, she had to adjust to life paralyzed from the neck down. Ultimately Barbara lived her life as a high-level quadriplegic. The tragedy of the event spread quickly throughout the news media. Due to the tremendous newspaper and television coverage, the public responded with an unprecedented outpouring of support. Barbara received tens of thousands of letters from around the world and thousands in unsolicited donations. Over the next few years the public eye remained on Barbara. It followed her through the four-month trial of her assailants, in a case that eventually went to the Supreme Court of Canada. Barbara attended Arizona State University, graduating in 1990 with a BA in Journalism, with honours and as Valedictorian. Afterwards, Barbara joined the staff of the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper. She was hired as a general assignment reporter — a job she enjoyed to her final days in the Star’s Life department.” The Star broke the story of Barbara Turnbull’s death Sunday night saying she had died at age 50 from complications related to pneumonia. Twitter
