Barbara Ann Dorothy Bakos

Barbara Ann Dorothy Bakos, born on May 22, 1943 in Buffalo, New York, lived a life dedicated to serving others. She was the beloved daughter of Walter and Lillian Bakos (Olszonowicz), the life-partner of Donald Reed, the sister of Elizabeth Nowocien and the late Walter R. Bakos, the mother of Lori Bakos Kubik and Roy W. Bakos, and the grandmother of Joey Kubik and Josh Kubik. She passed away peacefully in her West Seneca home, in the early hours of the morning, on Thursday, September 26th surrounded by her loving family and the help of hospice care. Barbara lived a life that revolved around her family, her pets, and her friends. In spite of the many health battles that she fought, she always tried to spread light in the world by showing kindness and love to everyone. She spent her younger days growing up on the East Side of Buffalo where she attended St. Casmir's and St. Luke's Catholic Grammar Schools and graduated from Villa Maria High School in Buffalo. She cared for her father Walter when he endured bouts of depression and went to work at a young age to help her mother, Lillian, with the family. Barbara also spent time caring for her mother during Lillian's decades as a widow and a nursing home resident in the final years of her life. After becoming a mother to Lori and Roy, Barbara went back to college to become a nurse so she could make a living through taking care of others. Her tenderness and loving nature defined her at her job, and she became a friend to many of her private duty patients and their families. Barbara was dedicated to her life-partner, Donald, throughout their almost four-decade relationship. Don became her full-time care giver and lovingly helped her through many medical issues and appointments. They complimented each others strengths and supported each other through difficult times. Their partnership was a blessing to them both and a true model of dedication and love. Barbara was a wonderful mother to Lori and Roy. She sacrificed a great deal working long hours in a single parent household to provide everything she could for her children including a private school education for each. She taught them about caring for others, equality, and kindness through many selfless acts which included helping close friends and family as well as offering assistance to strangers. Barbaras passion was her love for her kids and grandkids, but she was a mother to anyone who needed her. Barbara loved her grandchildren, Joey and Josh, and would light up every time she saw them or heard about their achievements. She would often travel to Attica, NY, in all kinds of weather, just to spend the day with them. Grandma Barb was known to show up with bags full of gifts and treats for her grandkids and enjoyed every second that she had to spoil them in her own way. She was a very proud grandma and loved to display pictures of the boys all over her house. Every minute with them was a blessing to her. Barbara was a true animal lover and often helped rescue animals that she came across in her travels. She had many pets over the years, often deciding to move her family to bigger apartments when the number of cats and dogs outgrew their living space. She took great joy and found peace later in life by spending time at home with her dog Pepe and her cat Princess who were at her side until the very end. Barbara was such a kind, compassionate, and caring lady. Her motto was a quote from her favorite movie, Bambi, and she taught it to her children: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothing at all." We will all miss her simple tenderness and desire to be nice to all people and animals. Godspeed Barbie; your spirit lives on in the lives of everyone you touched. You are greatly missed. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Sunday, 10/6 at 2:30pm at the UB Newman Center, 495 Skinnersville Rd, Amherst, NY 14228. A Celebration of Barbara's Life will follow at 4pm at Buffalo Distilling Company, 860 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14210. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barbara's name atbthe SPCA of WNY or the 10 Lives Club.