The Wareck Family Fund

In Memoriam: Barbara Wareck, 1931-2025

Barbara Joan (Cooley) Wareck passed away June 9, 2025, at the age of 93. Throughout her lifetime, Barbara was a vital presence in the New Haven community, working with many organizations including School Volunteers for New Haven, the New Haven Sister Cities, the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and the Urban League, and helped to establish the Fortunoff Video Archives for Holocaust Testimony at Yale.  She served on numerous boards including those of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Shubert Performing Arts Center, League of Women Voters, Congregation Mishkan Israel and the Hospital of Saint Raphael.

Barbara was born in New Haven and attended area schools before graduating from Wellesley College in 1953.  She worked in public relations in New York City for Time Magazine and Air France, inspiring a lifelong love of travel.  After marrying Stephen A. Wareck in 1960, the couple returned to New Haven to raise a family.  She began a lifetime of volunteering and supporting her community, even as she later returned to work, coordinating community relations for United Illuminating.

While Barbara seeming never slept and always had a long to-do list, she always had time for her family, including her three children, six grandchildren, and two stepchildren.  Following Stephen’s death in 1992, she was married to Charles “Chick” Perrow from 2001 until his death in 2019.  Even in her final days, she expressed love and gratitude for her marriages, family and community.  She will be missed by many, including her friends and colleagues at The Community Foundation.

The Wareck Family Fund is a designated fund to benefit St. Martin de Porres Academy.