Barbara E. Meyer

Barbara Elizabeth Meyer, a longtime resident of Emerson, New Jersey, passed peacefully on Friday, April 21, at Woodcliff Lake Health and Rehab under hospice care. She was eighty-eight. Born in the Bronx on December 12, 1934, Barbara was the youngest of two daughters. Her parents, both immigrants, arrived in the United States in 1929 with their firstborn. Her mother, Rose Patricia Warnecke (nee Watts) was born in 1901 in northwest England, close to The Wash, an inlet of the North Sea. Her father, Walter Warnecke, was born in 1904, in Bremerhaven, a shipping port on the North Sea in Northern Germany.

Raised almost entirely by her mother (her father passed away in 1941, just six weeks after becoming a naturalized citizen), Barbara was educated at Walton High School in the Bronx. After graduating high school, she enrolled at New York University, where she majored in creative writing, inspired by her mother’s, and her own, love of books. In 1954, she married Harry Ernest Meyer, whose father owned the local ice cream parlor. “We’d buy a coke for five cents and sit at the counter for hours,” she once told her children. “Your grandfather didn’t mind, at all.” Barbara and Harry’s first child, a daughter, was born the following year.

Like many people in the early 1960s, Barbara and Harry, along with their three young children (a son and then another daughter came later) left New York City for the suburbs. In November 1964, they moved to the home in which she and Harry resided until last July, when she entered nursing care.

Barbara was an active member of her church and participated in numerous activities, including a number of years as a Sunday School teacher. In addition to several other community groups, she was a longtime member of the Emerson Woman’s Club and served as its president for two years.

Barbara was well-known by her family and friends as a great cook, an incredible baker, and an amazing host. Perhaps the most memorable of her many get-togethers was her annual wine-and-cheese tasting party, that she held for a number of years during the seventies. Inspired by her mother, her youngest daughter would also grow to embrace the joy of cooking for family and friends.

A lover of games and competing, she especially enjoyed playing dominos and Scrabble. For years, she was part of a weekly Mahjong circle and spent many summer afternoons at the Westwood Swim Club, playing Perquackey with friends while their children swam. Jigsaw puzzles were a mainstay at their home in Vermont.

Barbara had a great thirst for knowledge, which she satisfied through reading. Her shelves were lined with nonfiction titles, specifically books on history and politics, and the people who defined them. Her love of books was an inspiration to her son, who has spent his entire adult life working in publishing.

As her children grew and left home, she began a new chapter. For several years, she had worked part-time at B. Altman and Company. Finding more time on her hands, she entered the world of Real Estate. Her successful career as a realtor for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Closter, New Jersey, would eventually result in her becoming a member of the Million Dollar Sales Club.

After retiring, she and Harry were finally able to indulge their adventurous spirits. For more than fifteen years, they traveled, explored, and experienced many different countries and cultures. One of her favorite trips included stops in Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Scotland. Having been raised by a mother who was fiercely proud of her English heritage, Barbara always felt a deep connection with England. Some of the best periods of her life were the weeks and months she toured the country, traveling the same streets her mother had walked so many years prior. She visited the village in which her mother was born and left flowers on the gravesites of the grandparents she’d never met. But it was the time spent with her cousin, Merle Burholt, and her husband, Tony, that remained most vivid in her mind. Whether in England or the U.S., their days together always held a special spot in her heart.

Barbara spent her final years close to home, cared for by her devoted husband, who never left her side. When she passed, they had been married for sixty-nine years. During this last decade of her life, her three children were never more than a phone call or car ride away. Their love and support helped to sustain her through challenging times. Her firstborn, especially, could always be counted on to keep track of the many details of her mom’s life.

One of the greatest joys of her life was her role as a grandmother. She was extremely proud of her granddaughter, especially her work ethic and her ability to build a life for herself in New York City. Her grandson was another bright light in her life. She both encouraged and celebrated his years in academia.

Barbara was a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She meant many different things to many different people. She was Mom, Ma, Mommy, Barbara, Bobbie, Aunt Bobbie, Auntie Bob, and Gram.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Claudia (Kenneth) Salzmann of Pawling, New York, Heidi (Tony) Dimitriadis of Dumont, New Jersey; son, Eric Meyer of Catskill, New York; grandson, Samuel Miller of Chicago, Illinois; granddaughter, Melissa Rose Miller of New York City; sister Peggy Mackiewicz of Albany, New York; and nine nieces and nephews, including her sister’s daughters, Vicki Hanley of Virginia and Joan Qualtere of upstate, New York.

Over the years, Barbara was blessed with many great friendships, especially those that lasted for decades. Her dearest friends included Myra, Kay, Jean, Marlene, Edith, Carol, Joan, and Doris. Barbara touched the lives of many people. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers the family encourages donations to any of the following:

Zion Lutheran Church, Westwood, NJ; Friends of the Emerson Public Library, Emerson, NJ; and the Hydrocephalus Association, Bethesda, MD.