Bridget Neumayr

Bridget Mary Neumayr—a woman of profound faith, intellectual elegance, and linguistic grace—passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 88. She departed on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, with rosary in hand, returning to the God she served as a Third Order Dominican.

Academic & Scholar - Born in Leicester, England, on May 20, 1937, Bridget was the daughter of the esteemed philosopher and author James Munro Cameron and Vera Shaw Cameron, and sister to the archaeologist Mark Alan Shaw Cameron. Her early education at St. Rose’s boarding school in the Cotswolds, under the tutelage of Dominican nuns, ignited a lifelong devotion to the "life of the mind" and the traditions of the Church.

She mastered the nuances of English Language and Literature at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University (B.A. ’59, M.A. ’64). In 1959, her brilliance earned her a Fulbright Scholarship to the United States, leading her to Indiana University—where she famously tutored the men’s basketball team—and later U.C. Berkeley for doctoral studies. It was at Berkeley that she met her beloved husband of 59 years, Jack Neumayr, a founder and the first Dean of Thomas Aquinas College.

Lifelong Passion for Literature - Bridget’s academic brilliance was matched only by her desire to pass that light to her children, each of whom took up a different thread of her vibrant tapestry. She infused her family with a rigorous love for the precision of grammar and the art of writing. She raised them on the rhythmic beauty of Chaucer, the piercing clarity of T.S. Eliot, and the mythic depths of Tolkien, teaching them that a well-turned phrase was a matter of character as much as intellect.

This devotion to excellence saw her children follow in her footsteps to the world’s great institutions and vocations. Her eldest daughter, Mary, inherited Bridget’s passion for studious pursuits through law school and her professional life, while embodying her mother’s heart as a devoted correspondent and caregiver of the family. Her daughter Catherine and her late son George both attended Oxford University, where they honed the skills that would define their careers. Catherine became an expert educator in English Literature and educational administration, while George became a New York Times bestselling author and renowned journalist.

Her son Tom pursued his PhD in political philosophy, carrying on her vocation as a teacher, and her son John pursued a successful career in fashion, a reflection of Bridget’s own celebrated elegance and aesthetic eye. Her daughter Anne embraced Bridget's passion for motherhood and education, homeschooling her six children with the same commitment to style and intellectual rigor that defined the Neumayr home.

The French Connection - Perhaps nothing captured Bridget’s elegance more than her lifelong connection to France. Fluent and flawless in the language, her soul was deeply tied to the Dordogne and Dijon. This Francophile heart was a gift she shared deeply with her daughter, Jane, who lived and studied in France, shaping her own professional development under the influence of French culture. Jane continued the family tradition, residing with the Durnerin family, maintaining a profound and lifelong friendship with the Durnerin siblings and grandchildren—a testament to the enduring cross-generational bond Bridget first forged decades ago.

Devotion to Faith and Family - A devoted wife and mother of seven, Bridget was a quiet pillar of Thomas Aquinas College, standing beside Jack from its earliest days. She was a woman of the "long view," an avid walker consistent with her British heritage, and a keen follower of news who read The Wall Street Journal daily until her final days. Her love for her grandchildren was evident to all, particularly as she prayed for grandchildren at the Infant of Prague in Czech Republic, and a few years later had not only several grandchildren, but Czech ones.

She was predeceased by her husband, Jack (2022), and her son, George (2023). She is survived by her six children: Mary Bridget, John, Catherine, Thomas (Celia), Jane (Ondrej) Nemcova, and Anne (Brooks) Braden, and fourteen grandchildren.

Services -

•Viewing & Rosary: Friday, March 13, 2026, 3pm – 4:30pm (Rosary at 4pm)

•Funeral Mass: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 9am

•Location: Chapel of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, Thomas Aquinas College, California

•Interment: Santa Paula Cemetery, with a reception to follow at the College