Barbara Lynn (Reynolds) Perrotto was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Newark, NJ on August 9th, 1956. She was the daughter of Frances (Schwindt) Reynolds and Charles Reynolds, a Newark Firefighter. Barbara made friends wherever she went, even up until her very last days. She was a feisty redhead and the life of the party. She was never afraid to say how she felt; she stood up for herself and others, and was always her true self. Once you met her, you could never forget her. She resided in Newark until the second grade, when she moved with her family to Center Street in Hillside, and was a 1974 graduate of Hillside High School. She had fond memories of her family, such as riding in her father’s Bel Air for summers down the shore at Forked River, and she loved her green, 1968 Ford Mustang, where she would often venture out with friends to Newark Airport before its opening. Her best life decision was marrying the love of her life, Vinny, of 39 years. Vinny and Barbara moved to Newton, NJ in 1985, where they raised their three girls, Nicolle, Jeanna, and Brianne. She was also a surrogate mom and pseudo aunt to close friends. She was the rock of her family and always put them first. Although she loved her children, she loved her grandchildren even more. She was always a bit unconventional and preferred the name “Mema” or “Mimi” instead of grandma. Afterall, she was kind of a cool lady and definitely not “old”. Together with her husband, she shared four grandsons and one “princess”. You could often find Barbara and Vinny out on the dance floor at many Snake Oil Willy Concerts, and if you couldn’t find her dancing, you could probably find her singing onstage with friends. Barbara volunteered her time with the Newton Junior Athletic League (NJAL), where she met many longtime friends. Sports were a big part of her life as a mother, and although she was a big New Jersey Devils Fan, she was an even bigger fan of her children and grandchildren. You would often find Barbara in the stands or on the sidelines at sporting events, and if you didn’t see her, you could definitely hear her.
Barbara had many comical moments with her family, like the time there was soap in the stew or when the chicken was cooked upside down. She would usually drive with the family out to Meadville, PA in the middle of snowstorms every Thanksgiving, not wanting to miss seeing the Reynolds’ Mansion decorated for Christmas, annual shopping sprees, and good food with family. When there wasn’t homecooked meals from the little, old Italian ladies, she would often order pizza from Little Caesars with “Bull Sausage”. She was a wild and crazy aunt and once even handcuffed her nephew, Joey, to the radiator as a prank. Everybody loved her. Unlike her husband’s side of the family that was Italian, Barbara was Irish and made sure to make her famous mashed potatoes for every holiday, especially for Christmas, which will always be her favorite. Barbara had a fighting spirit and fought throughout her pancreatic cancer diagnosis as hard as she could. She passed away early in the morning on Aug. 19, 2021 at her home with Vinny by her side. You wouldn’t know what true love was until you saw the two of them together. In Barbara’s last days, she was surrounded by family and friends. Many of those days were spent listening to music, especially classic rock on the record player, looking through old photos, and reminiscing about great memories. Services will be held at St. Joseph’s RC Church in Newton, NJ at 10:00am on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Any memorial donations are asked to be made in Barbara’s memory to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, 99 Sparta Avenue, Newton, NJ 07860.