Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 2, 2016 from 2-6 PM. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Monday, October 3, 2016 at the funeral home, followed by burial at Christ the King Cemetery in Franklin Lakes.
Barbara Louise Callan, age 87 of Wayne, died peacefully on Thursday, September 29, 2016. She had lived in Wayne since 1961.
Barbara grew up in Brooklyn, at 243, 52nd Street in the Bay Ridge section. She was the youngest of four girls in her family. On one particular day in 1946, Barbara’s cousin, who was serving in the Navy! , stopped by to see his aunt and cousins. He brought a fellow sailor along named William Callan. From the moment Barbara met Bill, sparks began to fly. They fell for each other very quickly and on July 24, 1948 they were married right there in Barbara’s home where they had first met. A honeymoon to Washington, D.C. followed before they settled in Brooklyn. Eventually in 1961, they moved to Wayne where they have lived ever since.
Over the years, Barbara worked at Plains Pharmacy, and Droste Chocolate as a bookkeeper, but her greatest joy was volunteering in the Maternity Ward of what was then the Greater Paterson General Hospital, now St. Joseph’s of Wayne.
Barbara was in the nursery photographing the new babies. She also worked with a large group of volunteers to knit all the little caps that went on the babies and her family recalls stacks of these cute little caps in their home. She logged more than 8000 hours as a volunteer there and endured all the ownership changes the hospital went through during those years. She was recognized several times over the years as one of the top fundraisers for the hospital and she enjoyed all of her years there.
At home, Barbara was a terrific homemaker and a “fantastic” cook. She could make everything and anything to perfection and her Irish Soda bread is the absolute best! Her sweet pumpkin pie was among her best desserts, but they were all pure perfection. Barbara also took a unique approach when she decided to quit smoking. When the urge to light up came to her, she would go for a walk around Packanack Lake instead. On some days the urge was pretty strong and she would walk around the lake five or six times! She wore holes right through the bottom of her sneakers! But her method worked and she was able to kick the habit and get herself in good shape at the same time. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at just sixty years old and endured for more than twenty eight years with the disease. Watching her slip away a little at a time was painful for her family, but they fawned over her endlessly. Bill would visit her daily in the nursing home and he had dinner with her every night, even feeding her himself when she no longer could. He exemplifies what true love looks like and he will miss her dearly.
Barbara is survived by her loving husband William of Wayne, by her three children; William F. Callan and his wife Jo Ellyn of W. Springfield, MA, James P. Callan and his wife Laura of Brandon, FL, and Barbara K. Callan of North Haledon, NJ, two grandsons; Shawn P. Callan of W. Springfield, MA, and Corey R. Callan of Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s memory would be greatly appreciated to the Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834-1365.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 2, 2016 from 2-6 PM. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Monday, October 3, 2016 at the funeral home, followed by burial at Christ the King Cemetery in Franklin Lakes.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 2, 2016 from 2-6 PM. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM on Monday, October 3, 2016 at the funeral home, followed by burial at Christ the King Cemetery in Franklin Lakes.
Barbara Louise Callan, age 87 of Wayne, died peacefully on Thursday, September 29, 2016. She had lived in Wayne since 1961.
Barbara grew up in Brooklyn, at 243, 52nd Street in the Bay Ridge section. She was the youngest of four girls in her family. On one particular day in 1946, Barbara’s cousin, who was serving in the Navy! , stopped by to see his aunt and cousins. He brought a fellow sailor along named William Callan. From the moment Barbara met Bill, sparks began to fly. They fell for each other very quickly and on July 24, 1948 they were married right there in Barbara’s home where they had first met. A honeymoon to Washington, D.C. followed before they settled in Brooklyn. Eventually in 1961, they moved to Wayne where they have lived ever since.
Over the years, Barbara worked at Plains Pharmacy, and Droste Chocolate as a bookkeeper, but her greatest joy was volunteering in the Maternity Ward of what was then the Greater Paterson General Hospital, now St. Joseph’s of Wayne.
Barbara was in the nursery photographing the new babies. She also worked with a large group of volunteers to knit all the little caps that went on the babies and her family recalls stacks of these cute little caps in their home. She logged more than 8000 hours as a volunteer there and endured all the ownership changes the hospital went through during those years. She was recognized several times over the years as one of the top fundraisers for the hospital and she enjoyed all of her years there.
At home, Barbara was a terrific homemaker and a “fantastic” cook. She could make everything and anything to perfection and her Irish Soda bread is the absolute best! Her sweet pumpkin pie was among her best desserts, but they were all pure perfection. Barbara also took a unique approach when she decided to quit smoking. When the urge to light up came to her, she would go for a walk around Packanack Lake instead. On some days the urge was pretty strong and she would walk around the lake five or six times! She wore holes right through the bottom of her sneakers! But her method worked and she was able to kick the habit and get herself in good shape at the same time. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at just sixty years old and endured for more than twenty eight years with the disease. Watching her slip away a little at a time was painful for her family, but they fawned over her endlessly. Bill would visit her daily in the nursing home and he had dinner with her every night, even feeding her himself when she no longer could. He exemplifies what true love looks like and he will miss her dearly.
Barbara is survived by her loving husband William of Wayne, by her three children; William F. Callan and his wife Jo Ellyn of W. Springfield, MA, James P. Callan and his wife Laura of Brandon, FL, and Barbara K. Callan of North Haledon, NJ, two grandsons; Shawn P. Callan of W. Springfield, MA, and Corey R. Callan of Hackettstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s memory would be greatly appreciated to the Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834-1365.
Guestbook