Obituary of Barbara K. Contini

Barbara Heitman Contini (nee Lewis), 95 of Belvidere, New Jersey passed away on August 1, 2025. Barbara was born in Brooklyn, NY, the only daughter of three children born to Cathleen (“Kay”) and Edwin Lewis.

She is survived by her children Richard Heitman (Diane), Melinda Hamilton (Todd), Jean Landy (John), Lori Carlton (Phil) and Pete Contini (Maurya); her twelve grandchildren (Katherine, Kyle, Kerry, Erin, Tara, Marin, Marie, Jack, Kate, Charlie, Anna and Celia) and three great-grandchildren (Brynn, Kate and Rayce).

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers Edwin and Ranney Lewis and her daughter Barbara (“Bobbyi”) Heitman Platek.

Barbara was raised in South Orange, NJ and graduated from the Berkely Secretarial College with her associate’s degree. She would later attend Caldwell College. With the end of World War II, she met Henry (“Harry”) Heitman III who returned home to his family who had moved in across the street. They married in 1950 and would purchase a home in Millburn NJ where they raised Bobbyi, Rich, and Lori until Harry’s passing in 1977.

A few years later, she met the love of her life, John Contini, a widower, through her work as an Advisor to the Board of Directors with the Archdiocese of Newark and the founding of the local program of The Beginning Experience (BE) for Widowed Catholics. She would also serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the BE program’s national organization. They would marry in 1983, and Barbara would move to Nutley, NJ. She would retire from AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Contract Auditor in 1988. Upon their retirements, Barbara and John moved to White Township, NJ. They would enjoy over 40 years of marriage and together watched with loving pride as their blended family grew with marriages and the births of their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Imagine trying to get reservations for 29 people when just the immediate family wanted to go out to eat during a family reunion!

Barbara loved to travel and vacation, which she and John enjoyed often in their retirement.  It gave her great joy to entertain others, and their home was often filled with the sounds of her family and friends enjoying themselves.

Over the course of her life, Barbara was involved with many volunteer activities.  She served as Auxiliary President of the Guy R. Bosworth American Legion Post 140 in Millburn, NJ and was a member for over 2 decades. She was also an avid quilter and member of the Evening Star Quilt Guild, sewing well into her 90s.

Barbara’s love of reading led her to volunteer at the Warren County Public Library, both reading to the children and was an active book club participant until the fall of 2024. She was a lifelong devout Catholic.  In addition to her work with the Beginning Experience, she demonstrated her faith in her service as a eucharistic minister and President of the Rosary Society at her local parishes over many years.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025, from 9:30 AM-10:30 AM at the McFadden Funeral Home at 325 Hardwick Street, Belvidere, New Jersey.

 A Mass of Christian Burial will held the same day at 11:00am at Saint Patrick's Church, 327 Greenwich Street, Belvidere, New Jersey. Interment will follow.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to “The Village, NJ Inc” a federally registered charity that supports local Warren County area families in crisis in collaboration with area school counselors. Checks may be addressed to The Village NJ, 552 N Main Street, Stewartsville, NJ 08886 or donations made online at the following donation platform: https://www.clover.com/pay-widgets/b2654150-8193-406d-af7c-0248bd9b576c