Barbara Jo Brundige was a teacher, a school and summer camp owner and director, a real estate broker in both Nassau County and on the South Fork, and a dedicated volunteer.
“Barbara’s life was full of energy,” her family wrote. “She didn’t know the meaning of ‘it can’t be done.’ Everything she did was done with a sense of passion and completeness.”
Ms. Brundige, who was ill with cancer for eight years, died at age 77 last Thursday. She was at home in Lattingtown, on the North Shore, with her family.
“Even when she was in the latter stages of her disease, she managed to make it to the wedding of her son in California,” saying, “ ‘nothing is keeping me from my son’s wedding!’ “ her family recalled. “She exemplified the meaning of a ‘can-do’ spirit. If there was a task to be done, you wanted Barbara on your team.”
Her husband of 54 years, Jim Brundige, is the director of East Hampton Airport, and the couple split their time between Lattingtown and Sag Harbor.
Ms. Brundige was born in Glen Cove on Aug. 12, 1945, to Howard Clark Shoen and the former Ida Mae Secor. She grew up in Glen Cove and graduated from the Friends Academy in Locust Valley before going on to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education, and Hofstra University in Hempstead, where she received a master’s in education.
Her parents were educators and founders of the North Shore Day School in Glen Cove. She succeeded them as director and owner of the school and the Summer Sport Camp, where she worked from 1972 until 1988. After that, she was a broker with Douglas Elliman in Locust Valley and Brown Harris Stevens in East Hampton.
“Barbara touched so many lives, from the thousands of families who attended her school and summer camp, to the hundreds she helped with their real estate needs, to her volunteer work,” her family said. She “believed strongly in giving back.”
She volunteered with the American Red Cross, the Junior League of Long Island, and the First Presbyterian Church of Oyster Bay, and was a member of the Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, the Seawanhaka Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, and the Beaver Dam Winter Sports Club in Locust Valley.
She was a competitive tennis player, starting at age 12 and continuing to age 74, and had played on her college travel team and represented the Nassau Country Club in regional competitions. She also enjoyed horseback riding.
“To her family, her many co-workers, her clients, tennis friends, and fellow volunteer workers, she was an inspiration,” her family wrote.
She and Mr. Brundige were married on Aug. 11, 1968. They had four sons. Before Lattingtown, they had lived in Laurel Hollow for 20 years.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons, James Brundige Jr. of Bethesda, Md., Jonathan Brundige of Westport, Conn., Joseph Brundige of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Jesse Brundige of Chappaqua, N.Y. She also leaves her grandchildren, Jordan, Peyton, Mason, Taylor, Cooper, Madilyn, Ava, Celine, Orson, and Cal, four daughters-in-law, a sister-in-law, a niece, and a nephew.
“Barbara’s energy and zest for life was boundless,” her family wrote. “As such, she accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime. The only thing larger than her personality was her heart.”
Visiting hours were yesterday at the Dodge-Thomas Funeral Home in Glen Cove. A celebration of her life is to be held today at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Oyster Bay. Donations have been suggested to that church at oysterbaypresbyterian.org, the American Red Cross at redcross.org, or the Northwell Hospice Care Network at hospicecarenetwork.org.
