Barbara Ann Guggenheim

Barbara Ann Guggenheim (nee Moore) was born on December 13, 1925 in New York, New York to Edna and Charles Moore. As the eldest of six children, she became a caregiver early on- a theme that continued throughout her life. She was in her senior year at St. Mary's High School in Queens, NY, making plans for college, when her dad suddenly and tragically passed away. She put her plans aside and went out to work to help support and raise her younger siblings.

She met Robert (Bob) Guggenheim, a fellow New Yorker, in the Catskills in the early 1950s. They married in 1956. Shortly after her wedding, the city girl and her new husband moved to the wilds of Wayne, NJ. Her caregiving continued as sons Bobby and Jim were born while they lived in Wayne. In 1960, the family moved further upcountry to the Skyline Lakes section of Ringwood. They built a new house in 1963, a few months after their daughter Sue was born. Their son Steve was born the following year.

While the children were young, Barbara's mother Edna and brother Phil came to live with the family. Over the years, Barbara managed a household of between seven and eight people, depending on who Bob invited to live with them (more caregiving) She was a class mother at St. Catherine of Bologna school, a fixture at the ballfields, basketball courts and hockey rinks, cheering on her kids with a ready supply of Bazooka bubble gum. She was an active parishioner of St. Catherine of Bologna church, where she worshiped for 65 years.

When her children were teens and tweens, Barbara returned to the workforce at Alps Manor Nursing Home in Wayne in the Activities department, where she hosted bingo games, birthday parties, and arts and crafts classes for the residents, singing along to all the old songs with her beautiful voice, providing care to them in her generous way.

When she retired from working outside the home, Barbara cared for her grandchildren - first Kelly, and later Erin. In her retirement years, she and Bob enjoyed traveling by car for vacations, visiting family, attending plays at the Helen Hayes and Papermill Playhouses, and going to the movies, where they'd sneak their own candy into the theater in Barbara's suspiciously-large purse.

In 2007, Barbara and Bob sold their home of 44 years in Skyline Lakes and moved to the Erskine section of Ringwood with their daughter Sue and her husband Greg. Bob passed away in 2014. Barbara continued to live with Sue and Greg until her passing on Saturday, May 3, 2026, 36 years to the day of her own mother's passing.

Barbara loved many things, including her family, reading (especially horror and detective stories), and religiously watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, where no one could compete with her in solving the puzzle first (although many gave it a try). She was an excellent cook, and her delicious cheesecake was known to many. She loved the daily crossword and jumble in the newspaper and was a quiet assassin in Rummy 500, taking down her children and later her grandkids. She enjoyed a margarita on the deck from time to time watching the breathtaking sunsets on Erskine Lake.

Barbara was predeceased by her husband Bob and her son Bobby Guggenheim. She is survived by her son Jim Guggenheim and his wife Nancy of Chester, Maryland, her daughter Sue Gloor and her husband Greg of Ringwood, her son Steve Guggenheim of Bedminster, NJ, her grandchildren Kelly Platt and her husband Steve of Katonah, NY, Jessica Letteney and her husband Pete of Arnold, MD, Michael Guggenheim of Pasadena, CA and Erin Gloor of King of Prussia, PA. She is also survived by the great loves of her later life, her great-grandchildren Veronica, Eli, Cecelia, Max, Vivienne and Henry. She is also survived by furry friends Vinny and Finnegan, who are already missing her and her never-ending stash of treats.