Obituary of Barbara Ridder Irwin

Philanthropist and animal lover, Barbara Ridder Irwin, died peacefully at home in New Vernon, New Jersey on December 22, 2019. She was 98. Barbara, the last of four children of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Ridder of New York and Palm Beach, FL, graduated from the Brearley School and attended Bennington College. She married Thomas Fields Long in 1944. After WW II, when the family moved to New Vernon, New Jersey, Barbara enjoyed all aspects of country life, riding and fox hunting with The Spring Valley Hounds, breeding and training Collies, and then Papillons, and creating a beautiful rose and vegetable garden. Interested in all sentient beings, she was known to carry a spider outside to safety, and to help her grandchildren rescue frogs from drowning in her swimming pool. She volunteered weekly at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, became a First Responder with the New Vernon Volunteer Fire Department First Aid Squad, for which she drove the ambulance, was a member of the Morristown Garden Club, and because of her interest in nutrition, she became a creative cook and baker. No one will forget her delicious, but healthy, apple pies! Barbara and Tom Long lived for a time in County Kildare, Ireland, where they fox hunted with the Kildare Hounds for several years. But missing the New Vernon home, the marriage ended in divorce. Upon her return to the United States, she and her collie spent a few months in Sun Valley, Utah, where at age 55, she learned to downhill and cross-country ski. This led to many ski adventures throughout the United States and even Zermatt, Switzerland, with her friends, children and grandchildren. She married her dear friend, David King Irwin in May 1977. They traveled extensively, including taking a trip on a Concorde Jet around the world and rafting down the Snake River. Together they raised Collies and Papillons. Barbara showed her dogs with the competitive spirit that brought her many breed, obedience and agility championships. She was presented the AKC Skarda Award for her contributions to the canine community, which included serving on the board of St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, donating the funds to build the St. Hubert’s dog training facility, and donating a new kennel to the Morris County Sheriff’s Department. She was a lifelong member of the Collie Club of America. She also co-owned dogs with other breeders who successfully championed them for her, including Papillons and Border Terriers. When Mr. Irwin died, she continued to travel. She went on a photographic Safari to Africa, a boating and rafting trip into the Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, and a European River Cruise, among others. Barbara was a generous supporter of the First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, New Jersey, the Morristown Medical Center, the New Vernon Volunteer Fire Department and First Aid Squad, and Jersey Battered Women’s Services (JBWS) in Morristown, as well as Bennington College and The Brearley School. Barbara loved her friends, generously inviting everyone to train their dogs in her pasture and barn that she had converted into a dog training facility. In her later years, she would gather friends at her swimming pool every afternoon in the summer to talk and swim laps while her Papillons chased them around the pool. It was a gift to be invited to join their conversation, as many did, of all ages. Laughter, bits of wisdom and great affection were shared on those afternoons in the shade of her magnificent weeping cherry tree. Barbara is survived by her daughter, Karen Long Dwight and her dear companion, Glen R. Fleischer, her son, Thomas Fields Long, Jr. and his wife, Deborah, three grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Memorial donations in her name may be made to The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center (f4mmc.org), or, because of her continuing dedication to helping women, the New Jersey Battered Women’s Services in Morristown, NJ (jbws.org). A celebration of her life will be held by the family in the Spring of 2020 in New Vernon, NJ. Arrangements are under the care of Burroughs, Kohr & Dangler Funeral Home, Madison.