Obituary Overview
Forever in Our Hearts
It is with profound sadness that we share that Misbah Minhas passed away peacefully on Monday July 20th, 2026, in Mississauga, Ontario, surrounded by her loving family and by a circle of love and prayers from family and friends, here and across the seas.
Misbah was the beloved daughter of the late Khuda Bux and Zia Minhas of Uganda and England, and is now reunited in eternal peace with them and her dearest brother, Dr. Emad Minhas.
Misbah was such a loving sister to Tasnim (Tess) Desa and Edgar of Mississauga, Rehana Minhas Amin and Arif, Dr. Rahat Minhas, Rafat Minhas QC, all of England, and Dr. Ferhat Minhas and Jalal of Morocco. She is also lovingly remembered by her dear sister-in-law, Dr. Husan Ara, of Pudsey, England.
Misbah's joyful spirit and radiant presence could light up any room she entered. Coupled with her infectious energy and absolute devotion to her family, she was everyone's favourite - a cherished daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, great-aunt and adopted family member to her friends and colleagues alike. Whether in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Pakistan, India, Japan, the US or elsewhere, she had the remarkable gift of making everyone she met feel valued, welcomed and loved.
Misbah was born in Kampala, Uganda, in an inclusive and multicultural society where English was the first language of choice. A genuine people person and wonderful communicator, Misbah was fluent in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and Ugandan Swahili, and recited the Holy Qur'an beautifully in Arabic.
She attended Old Kampala and Kololo Schools in Kampala, and later Jinja Secondary School before earning her teaching diploma from Shimoni Teachers' Training College in Kampala. She began her teaching career at Magwa and Army Primary Schools in Jinja. Misbah, a "true blue Girl Guide", also served as Assistant to the Commissioner of Girl Guides in the Busoga District.
Life in Jinja and Kampala was an idyllic song of innocent joy, laughter and lifelong friendships. Those precious years were shared with family and dear friends, especially Mary Kassam, Julie Das, Rama Tharkar, Naseem Butt, Margaret D'Souza, Jasbir Kalsi, Mrs. Das, Firdose Hussein and others who remained forever close to her heart.
Sadly, however, like so many Ugandan Asians, those happy lives were suddenly and painfully shattered by the expulsion of Asians from Uganda in 1972. Alone, leaving behind the only home she had ever known, Misbah arrived in Montreal as a refugee. She carried with her little more than courage, resilience and hope for a new beginning, and those qualities defined the rest of her life.
With unwavering determination, Misbah adapted to life's changes, going on to learn French and successfully complete her degrees at Carleton and McGill Universities in Montreal, Quebec. Alongside her academic studies, she enhanced her creative and artistic skills by studying art, and her beautiful paintings captured the beauty of nature and the vibrant flowers she so loved.
After rebuilding her life and teaching in Montreal for several years, her pioneering and indomitable spirit led her to teach in the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of the Northwest Territories, in Yellowknife and Inuvik. Here, she learnt as much from the land and its people as she imparted to them, and this reciprocal learning earned her the respect of her students and their parents. Misbah took living in the Arctic in her stride, and to be more self-sufficient and always soaring beyond the norm, she put her hair-raising driving skills to the test by taking some flying lessons.
However, after some very good and rewarding years of sharing her knowledge and skills with her many students, and, thankfully, for the safety of the 'arctic airwaves' as she would laughingly admit - she decided to concentrate entirely on her gift and mission to teach.
Her next chapter took her to the Cree community of Chisasibi, near James Bay in Northern Quebec, where she spent twenty happy and fulfilling years spreading the joy of learning and nurturing the potential of so many young minds. She was known for her exceptional care and dedication to her work. Her commitment to going the extra mile for her students left a lasting impact that was widely recognized by the entire community.
Here, she also formed lifelong friendships, especially with Olivia and Robert Spencer and family, who lovingly embraced her as one of their own. Indeed, our small-town Jinja girl was a trailblazer ahead of her time in recognizing the need to serve our wider communities without any barriers. Her former students still remember her with affection and hold her in high esteem as a teacher who opened new horizons and aspirations in their lives.
Misbah leaves us a legacy of special memories of a beautiful lady whose warmth of spirit, depth of character, integrity and sincere empathy endeared her to all she met. Indeed, she shared a special bond with all who crossed her path and was loved deeply in return. She was honest and all-encompassing, and saw no barriers of race, religion or background. To her, everyone was a friend to be treated with dignity. Her Muslim faith was the quiet foundation upon which she built her life. It shone not through words alone, but quietly and powerfully through her humility, kindness, compassion and grace. May Allah grant her Jannatul Firdaus and reunite her with her loved ones in the highest level of Heaven. Aameen.
Misbah was a natural beauty who was much admired, and though she never married, her life was incredibly rich beyond measure. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to her family, relatives, friends and their children as her chosen family, and forged a meaningful bond with the younger generations as their favourite aunt and relative. Misbah used every opportunity during her vacations to share wonderful moments with them, whether here or abroad. Her larger-than-life personality and generosity knew no bounds, and the gifts she gave her loved ones were always as big as her heart. Indeed, she was a fairy godmother who amazingly, came laden with tokens of love and thoughtful treasures from her far-flung abodes.
On one occasion, while en route to attend her niece's wedding in a small town in Normandy, France, a whole compartment of local commuters was galvanized into helping to offload her many gifts from Quebec during the train's brief two-minute stop. Misbah's warmth and wonderful ability to inspire complete strangers to help resulted in success. Every suitcase reached the platform before the train departed, and everyone clapped. Once again, Misbah had made the impossible possible when faced with a challenge.
In 2009, when life threw her an unexpected curveball that led to her being hospitalized in Montreal, she faced that chapter with the same quiet strength she taught her students every day. Throughout that time, and in the years that followed, she was blessed with her own devoted guardian angels, who walked alongside her every step of the way, supported by the love and prayers of so many. A special hug of thanks to them and in particular, her sister Rehana, her "little leaf", who rushed to her side and has since come on regular visits to her 'big leaf' Misbah. her late brother Emad and his wife Dr. Husan Ara, her dear friends Firdose, Suraiya, the late Julie Fleet and her sister Amber Dass, Robert and Olivia Spencer, the Sani family, her nephews Remi and Ali, and our dear friends Victor and Alzira Fernandes of Montreal, who opened their hearts and home in their loving support.to us.
In 2010, her brother-in-law and sister Edgar and Tess Desa, brought Misbah home to Mississauga, Ontario.
Here she spent seven years under the excellent care of Dr. Colin Saldanha and the great staff at Beechwood Assisted Living in Mississauga. Then in 2017, her health necessitated a move to Silverthorn Care Community, where she came under the exceptional care of Dr. Errol Sequeira and the angels of Heritage House and Silverthorn Community.
Even under the weight of adversity, Misbah was truly blessed by the love of those around her who cared for her with such compassion and comfort. Our special thanks go to dear Gopa Patel for her seven years of dedicated and loving care; to our cousins in Mississauga, Humaira, Mamiji Heera, Shafaq, Mubeen, Sandra and families and to so many dear ones who helped her through this chapter of her life with prayers and visits.
The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Terry D'Silva for his support and advice on her move to Ontario; to Dr. Colin Saldanha for his care and friendship during her years at Beechwood. to Dr. Errol Sequeira and each and every staff at Heritage House, we thank you for the immense loving care you have given Misbah at Silverthorn Care Community.
Our sincere appreciation and thanks to Dr. Gupta and all doctors and staff of the Credit Valley Hospital Emergency Department and to B1 Medicine Unit, especially, Dr. You and Dr. Gaisano and to the very competent and friendly nurses and staff of the units.
Indeed, our deepest gratitude for the prayers by the Credit Valley Spiritual team of Pastor John and ISNA Canada, the GOA Retirees, Amber's prayer group, our family, friends, and all who have surrounded Misbah with a protective circle of love, light and healing prayers. We also thank our dear Fiona Pinto D'Souza for her wonderful guidance, expertise and support at this time.
A very special thank you to my dearest husband Edgar Desa for his steadfast love, patience and help in every matter for Misbah's care for 17 years. He and my children, Risa, Feisal, Remi, Miranda have been a profound blessing for me during this time. Misbah and my family join me in thanking you from the heart.
Misbah's absence leaves us with an ache that can never be filled. Misba made us all feel loved, valued and cherished. May we carry that love forward and, in our sorrow, we honour and celebrate Misbah as a 'beautiful soul who leaves us with a trail of beautiful memories '
May her beautiful soul rest in eternal peace. Ameen.
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