By Avia Ustanny, Outlook Writer 
Barbara and Howard Moo-Young were soul mates, with a passion for photography and flowers.
IT BEGAN and ended with photographs.
Four days before she died in May of this year, Barbara Moo-Young checked herself out of Andrews Memorial hospital where she had been admitted with pneumonia, to attend her husband's photographic exhibition in Liguanea on Labour Day, May 24.
The story goes that Barbara threatened her sister, Sandra Kalil, that she would call the Governor-General (a friend) to drive her down to the exhibition if she refused to take her. Kalil reluctantly complied.
With tears in his eyes, Howard Moo-Young reflects that, had she not turned up that day ( a surprise for him), he would never have seen her so happy again.
Her wifely support was typical of the woman who knew that she was perhaps second place to her husband's greatest passion that of capturing nature in all its moods.
Barbara Moo-Young had a love for photography and nature that led her straight into the arms of Howard Moo Young.
Born in Coleyville, Manchester, Barbara grew up in Christiana before migrating to Kingston to live. She loved flowers and worked with Jeffrey Shields at Shields and Shields and other flower shops. Later, she was to become a member of the Garden Circle, run by late friend and mentor Leo O'Sullivan, who created the University Chapel Garden.
Barbara met Howard in the same year that his company, the former advertising firm Moo-Young and Butler, won The Gleaner Top Billing award for the sixth year in a row. His photograph was on the front page. Barbara wanted to learn photography badly and someone told her that the man on the front page was one of the best photographers too.
Howard Moo-Young, then in charge of the Colour Photography Club of Jamaica, encouraged the new member. They both travelled to several places across the island on the Roll of Film competition, in which members of the club were expected to produce all the different classes of expression on one roll of film.
"I encouraged her to enter the annual competition in the club," Howard Moor Young recalls. In her first year, she won the trophy for nature photography and placed second overall.
On October 15, 1988, Barbara Yapp became Barbara Moo Young and they continued to experience the joys of capturing the different. "Even when I travelled around Jamaica she came," Howard said."
They travelled to YS Falls, Parottee Beach and other scenic locales. Howard Moo-Young has done books on St. Elizabeth and Portland based on these travels.
The couple also produced two daughters Laura and Allysa, adding to three previous sons Christopher, Joel and Patrick (from previous marriages). Joel is a geologist. Patrick works in church ministry and building development. Christopher was a soldier in the United States army.
In 1998, things began to fall apart for the parents.
Howard Moo-Young lost his company, his house and his car in the same year Barbara was diagnosed with cancer. "She had breast cancer. Then they found the cancer in her lymph nodes and two other places in her body," Howard states, matter of factly.
The Moo-Young's battled the disease as best as they could, until a tumour was discovered in her brain. Steroid treatments affected her physically, causing her to gain wait and triggering diabetes.
Barbara's response to her troubles was "Howard if he (God) decides to take me, it's OK. If he decides to spare my life, that's OK, too."
The loss of the company added stress to the couple's lives, but Barbara's repeated advice to him was; "Howard, you have your talent and your health. God has blessed us in spite of what is happening."
Howard was not so accepting about her illness. Even now as he speaks there are tears. He continued to hope for a miracle for his wife until the very last day. "I still had the faith that God would have spared her life. That faith kept us going."
Howard saw Barbara getting very weak to the point where she had to use a walking stick. She was frequently in pain. However, she would spend hours in her garden, where she did not even appear to be ill. "Her garden gave her a certain strength. She was plotting, tending, cutting pruning... When she was in the garden she was very strong ," Howard Moo Young says.
Gardening was a passion that he was to develop, too caught like a viral fever from his wife, in the same way that she came to experience photography in a different way with him.
"I helped her in the garden. I am continuing her dream," he states, showing us a garage full of young plants which he has potted out himself. Next to them are a dozen other blooms which she potted out in the last weeks before she was hospitalised.
His wife would also draw strength from inspirational music, from her flowers and from friends. She was always surrounded by people who came to her for encouragement as much as to encourage her. Her husband states that she was born with optimism in the blood, and even when he lost his company, encouraged him never to think ill of anyone and to always hope for the best.
It was with a big smile on her face that she surprised Howard at the Liguanea Art and Photographic Festival on Labour Day - May 24 - with Sister Sandra Kalil by her side. "If I had not seen her that day, I would not have seen her in that wonderful state of happiness again."
This giving of herself was typical.
"She (Barbara) would give what she did not have. She would empty the family cupboards to give to others. She never had a negative word to say."
She also used every chance she got to suggest to her friends and others she met that they might want to "meet the Lord that she loved," Howard recalls.
"It was what her whole life was about."
There was one thing that she was worried about. She wanted to make sure her two daughters were looked after, right through school and up to the time of marriage. This was a promise that was extracted from her husband who said he understood the connection to her own childhood. "She wanted to bestow upon them even more love than she had received."
She was always concerned about her children and Howard believes that God answered her prayers about her son, Christopher Yapp, who was given his honourable discharge from the United States Army one day before his unit was sent to Iraq.
Christopher flew in after Labour Day to look for his Mom, but by the time his step father met him at the airport, she was gone. He attended the funeral in full military regalia. He had flown with hope, but he was prepared for the worst.
Howard Moo-Young states that the strength of family and the overwhelming expression of support from friends who gave not only encouragement but material support continue to keep the family going.
Furthermore, Barbara is still at home. When Laura lamented at her graduation form Hillell that her mother was not there, Howard said he told her that she was.
She will not be physically present at the current photographic exhibition at Devon House, 'Celebrating Jamaica', (started on Wednesday July 7), but he feels her spirit will be.
Barbara's voice is still on the voicemail at the family home, too.
And Howard remembers her dreams.
With his vision fixed in the middle distance he comments, "one of her dreams for me was to do a book on the entire island. She said 'Howard Moo-Young, you have to do a book on Jamaica'."
So accepting she was of her coming demise and so well did she prepare her family, that one month of her death, the tears still leak without warning but there is no debilitating grief.
He does not regret, Howard says, that she was taken 'before her time', at the relatively young age of 47. After all he quips, "Jesus was only 33 when he died and look at all the good he did."
Barbara Moo-Young may have died at a relatively young age, but her kindness and joy have apparently left an indelible imprint. In the place where such things are done, life's director decided to call it a day for Barbara May.
Take one. Cut. Print.
May 28, 2004.
