Barbara Jaffee Horner, Lifelong
Westfield Resident, Also of Cape May
Barbara Jaffee Horner passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, in Morristown Medical Center. She was 86 years young and the youngest of seven siblings.
Barbara was born on July 24, 1937 to the late Leo and Catherine Jaffee at her family home in Westfield. She was a lifelong resident of Westfield.
Barbara is survived by her beloved and devoted husband, Arthur, of 63 years, and three daughters, Christy Thomas (Jim) of North Plainfield, Jennifer Fuchs (Dave) of Natick, Mass., and Melissa Riley (Paul) of Medford. She has 11 grandchildren: Summer Cipolla (Chris), Ryan, Jamie, Courtney, Bridget, Hailey, Samantha, Kyle, Sean, Casey and Keeley. She also has two great-grandchildren, Scarlet and Robert. She has many loving nieces and nephews. Barbara is affectionately known as “Presh” to her siblings, nieces and nephews, “Nanny” to her grandchildren, and “GiGi” to her great-grands.
Barbara attended McKinley Grade School, Roosevelt Junior High, and graduated from Westfield High School in 1955. She was very involved in her high school activities. She was an enthusiastic Westfield football and baseball fan due to her “Arthuritis.” She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bucknell University in 1959. Among her many honors, she was Second Vice President of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, President of Kappa Delta Epsilon, a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, and an admired student counselor for incoming freshman women. Barbara was employed by the Westfield School District, where she taught ninth-grade civics. After raising her three daughters, she worked as a substitute teacher. Barbara was a member of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield for 59 years and active in her church circle. She was a member of the Westfield Service League, volunteering her time at the thrift and consignment shops. Barbara enjoyed 40+ years of aerobic dance, step aerobics, Jazzercise, and water aerobics. She was a lifetime member of WeightWatchers.
Barbara Jaffee Horner
Barbara was the Social Chairperson at Highland Swim Club. She was a winner of the Highland Swim Club Thousand Lap Club for several summers and a dedicated supporter of her children through years of swimming at Highland, Westfield YMCA and college. She loved to work as a timer at their swim meets and enjoyed hosting pasta parties for the entire swim team. She was an avid fan of the Yankees and of many NBA Basketball teams, most recently the Celtics. Barbara was super musically inclined; she played the piano and loved any song from the ’50s.Abba, Billy Joel and Beyonce were among her more recent favorites. She had an amazing talent to be able to sing all the lyrics to any song. Special memories were made on family trips to see a variety of New York City Broadway shows, the Museum of Natural History, Skytop, Pennsylvania, and Disney World, Florida.
Barbara’s love of the sun and the beach brought her many memorable family moments. She looked forward to spending the summers in Cape May with her family and took immense pride in singing, dancing, playing her dinner table games, eating ice cream, and laughing late into the night with her grandchildren. She enjoyed personal conversations to get to know every detail about each grandchild’s activities.
Barbara was predeceased by her brothers, James A. “Bud” Jaffee and Theodore R. “Ted” Jaffee, and her four sisters, Marjorie “Midge” Oravetz, Dorothy “Dot” Ochiltree, Marilyn “Bubs” Jones and June Mastrian.
The visitation will be held today, Thursday, August 10, from 3 to 5 p.m., at Memorial Funeral Home, 155 South Avenue, Fanwood, N.J. The Funeral Service will be on Friday, August 11, at 11 a.m., at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, N.J., or any charity of your choice.
August 10, 2023
