Barbara Kampf

She was an avid reader, a fantastic cook, and a baker known for her soda bread and scones. Barbara was a proud Corkonian who celebrated all aspects of Ireland’s culture and identity. She was an active member of the Bergen Irish Association, sharing her interest in Irish culture and music with a turn on the dance floor or engaging in some card games among her lifelong friends and fellow members.

Barbara embodied “the Irish welcome” and practiced an open house policy that extended beyond family and friends. Three generations of visitors from the continental U.S., Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and elsewhere were assured a bed, seam-busting meals, and good company. Barbara stood in as a carer to all, supporting everyone she brought into the fold and helping many immigrant relatives and friends find their feet in the U.S. Her life was about family, friends, and community, having a great chat with plenty of laughs, and making her home everybody’s. She leaves stories, memories, unforgettable celebrations, and gatherings as a legacy and a generational tradition deserving ongoing stewardship.

Barbara will be deeply missed by her sister Elizabeth (Lily); her children, Elizabeth, David John and his wife Maki, Alex and his wife Catherine; her grandchildren, Allyson, Ann, Leone, and Keegan; great-grandchildren Owen and Mateo; nieces, nephews, and their children the extended Moran, Healy, and Brash families; cousins both here and in Ireland, and all her friends in the Irish community.

Barbara was predeceased by her husband, David Kampf, in 2016 and by brothers Charlie and Jim Moran.

Friends may visit with the family at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ, on Friday, December 15, from 4 - 8 PM. The Funeral Mass celebrating Barbara's life and faith will be held at St. Gabriel the Archangel R.C. Church, Saddle River, NJ, on Saturday, December 16, at 10 AM.

Donations may be made to the V.A. in lieu of flowers: https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/