In Remembrance: Barbara A. McCooe ’54MA Died on July 26 2026

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Barbara Ann “Bobbie” McCooe (née McCarthy) of Ridgewood, New Jersey, died peacefully at home on July 26, 2026. Born in New York City during the Great Depression, she was raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, John Joseph (Jack); beloved daughter Ann Margaret; parents Charles (’30LLB) and Gladys (McGrail) McCarthy; sister Jackie Hickey (Jim); brothers Cormac and Bill; and sister-in-law Judy (Pinkston) McCarthy. She is survived by sister Maryellen Jaques and brother Dennis McCarthy; children Sean (Rosie), Kathleen Nilles (Mike ’91MPPM), Dennis (Theresa), Betsy Toomey (Tim), and Matthew (Amy); brother-in-law Bill McCooe (Naomi); sister-in-law Eileen McCarthy; and 19 nieces and nephews.

Bobbie has 17 grandchildren: John (Sara), Madeline Guarente (Michael), Cormac, Seamus, and Clare McCooe; Anna (Sam Wizon), Caitlin (Brian Rogers), Megan, and John Nilles; Charlie McCooe; Annie, Erin, and Catherine Toomey; Greysea, Finn, Kate, and Maggie McCooe, who all loved their “Muga”; and three great-grandchildren, Jack and Josie (John and Sara) and Monica (Anna and Sam).

Bobbie graduated from Knoxville Catholic High School, was a proud alumna of Albertus Magnus College, and received a master of arts from Yale University. After her studies, Bobbie taught English in Rouen, France, on a Fulbright scholarship and her love of international travel was born.

Bobbie and Jack married in 1961 and moved to Ridgewood in December 1965 with four babies under the age of three-and-a-half in the backseat and a Christmas tree strapped to the roof. Two more children filled their home in short order with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish at the center of their busy lives.

Bobbie loved the outdoors, especially hiking, skiing, canoeing, and camping in the Adirondacks, Harriman, Vermont, and the White Mountains. She was blessed with a sneaky competitive streak that made her a formidable tennis, paddle, and cribbage player, and was fond of setting up games with whatever was at hand, from pickle ball equipment to watermelon seeds. A lifelong student and educator, Bobbie was an avid reader and for many years an active member of the College Club book group, which she loved.

Bobbie remained an enthusiastic traveler of the world, with Ireland, Scotland, the Alps, Alaska, the Dolomites, the Holy Land, France, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, an African Safari, and Machu Picchu being among her most treasured journeys. In 2017, Bobbie took her children and their spouses on a nostalgic canal-boat trip through the south of France, retracing a route she and Jack had taken with friends many years before.

The family is grateful for the attentive and loving care that Bobbie received from the Applause Home Care and Valley Hospital Home Care teams these past two years.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to: “CF Care” (Families and Friends Supporting Cystic Fibrosis Care), c/o Dr. Gwen Engelhard, 55 East End Avenue, Suite 14D, New York, NY 10028. You can donate to CF Care on Clare McCooe’s fundraising page for this year's NYC Marathon. CF Care supports cystic fibrosis patients in the NY area.

—Submitted by the family.