Obituary of Barbara S. Nadolny

Barbara Sue May Nadolny, a longtime Morristown resident, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 20, 2024. She was 91.

Barbara leaves behind her three devoted children Christopher Nadolny, Rebecca Nadolny, and Mary Beth Vander Horn (Aaron) who gave Barbara five cherished grandchildren Sara (Aaron), Kari (David), Tyler (Bianca), Jake, and Molly; four treasured great-grandchildren Olivia, Ethan, Madeline, and Maeve; one brother Ted May (Dorothy); one niece, two nephews, and many dear friends. 

She was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law Ellen Nadolny.

Barbara was born in Buffalo, NY on September 30, 1933, to the late Thaddeus and Sophie May (née Madejski). She grew up in Buffalo with her brother and moved to Morristown in the 1960s.

Barbara was extremely passionate about education and viewed it as the most important thing in one’s life.  She always saw her parents reading books which inspired her reading passion, with particular enjoyment for biographies and murder mysteries.  She obtained her undergraduate degree from Buffalo University, later receiving a master’s degree in biology from William Paterson University while attending night school as a single mom.  She ensured her children received a great education and supported their hobbies.  She taught science and biology, first in elementary schools and later at Morristown High School. Ever progressive, Barbara participated in teachers’ union activities that contributed to the integration of Morris School District schools.

Barbara was a keen observer of nature,  “Nature Nut” proudly displayed on the license plate holder of her Volkswagon van.  That vehicle hauled students to NJ’s Great Swamp for educational visits.  That van was also used to camp with her kids, in particular during a 6-week 1976 journey to national parks across the USA.  She obtained Master Gardener certification and proudly showed off her beautiful flower garden, with its meticulous maps and records of blooms and rainfall.  

Bird watching was another great passion.  It helped inspire Barbara’s travel to 6 continents.  To catch fleeting glimpses of birds, her friends piled into vans before sunrise and drove to known areas of bird sitings.  Together these friends expanded their bird life lists, shared laughs, good food, and new cultural experiences in countries around the globe.  Wanting to support those local economies, Barbara bought a lot of souvenir crafts that cover her wall space, shelf-tops, and are randomly hung all over the rooms in her home.

Barbara’s love of nature meant she was also a member of the Watnong NARGS, which is a rock garden society.  And before Earth Day became a holiday she ran activities with her students, marking storm water drains with blue fish and initiating school environmental clubs.  She set up the Hawk Watch Club at Morristown High School to monitor the behavior and migration of birds of prey.

Her life was dedicated to community volunteering which included:

• theater productions, as a student in Buffalo and later at Morristown’s Unitarian Fellowship where she and ex-husband Peter Nadolny addressed social issues of the day in those productions
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association
• at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge she gave tours along the boardwalks
• at Wildwood Arboretum she was part of the propagation crew
• at New Jersey Audubon Society’s Scherman Hoffman Sanctuary she struggled working the gift shop register but loved it there
• she supported activities at Frelinghuysen Arboretum
• she found great community at Morristown Women’s Club
• regarding her journey into legal blindness, she tackled it by not only taking classes at Denville’s Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey, but also by learning voice-over technology well enough to help teach others

Over the decades Barbara would bump into students she taught while shopping in Morristown.  They would recall her tough-love teaching tactics.  They knew Now what she knew Then.  Barbara cared for her students and demanded they meet the standards she set.  She gave extra credit if a student located a gingko tree that was not on her Morristown gingko tree tracking list.  That was her favorite tree.

As a strong-willed woman, Barbara didn’t tolerate boredom in herself or those around her.  Yet she also had no problem at times Doing Absolutely Nothing.  She leaves behind an incredible legacy for her family to treasure and find inspiration.

A celebration of life will be held for Barbara in 2025.

In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions may be made in Barbara’s memory to the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, New Jersey Audubon, 9 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924, or to the Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Road, Millington, NJ 07946.