Barbara Michele Wainhause

Barbara Michele Wainhause
Barbara Michele Wainhause, 86, of New Canaan, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on January 12, 2026, at Waveny Care Center. She was the beloved wife of Irwin "Buddy" Wainhause, with whom she shared 68 years of marriage.
Born on February 7, 1939, in New York City, Barbara was the daughter of the late Lilian Block and Ted Unger. Bright and driven from an early age, she graduated from George Washington High School at just 16 years old in 1955.
Barbara enjoyed a long and accomplished career, beginning in advertising at Grey Advertising in New York City and later transitioning into direct marketing at Garden Way. In a second chapter of her professional life, she found great satisfaction working as a trusted legal assistant at Goldman, Gruder & Woods, where her intelligence, reliability, and warmth were deeply valued. An active member of Temple Beth El in Norwalk and B'nai B'rith for much of her adult life, Barbara was known for her creativity, generosity, and vibrant social spirit. She loved to cook, craft, and crochet, and was an accomplished seamstress who proudly made many of her children's clothes while they were growing up. She also had a deep love of travel, especially trips to France with her husband, where they returned year after year during and after one of Buddy's work assignments abroad, exploring the country she so dearly loved.
Above all, Barbara will be remembered as warm, generous, and a true social butterfly who brought people together with ease and kindness.
In addition to her dear husband, she is survived by her daughter, Stacy and her husband, Rob of Norwalk; her son, Jeffrey and his wife, Jane Yoon; her cherished granddaughters, Samantha and Rebecca, all of Montvale, New Jersey; her brother, Dan of New York City; and her sisters, Lynne Rednik of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Susan Lukaske of Valley Stream, New York. She was predeceased by her beloved grandchildren, Bryan and Isabella.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, January 18th, at 10:00 a.m. at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. Interment will follow at Temple Beth El Memorial Park, 222 Richards Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06850.
The family would like to take this opportunity to thank the warm and wonderful staff at Waveny Care Center, where Barbara and Buddy were lovingly cared for over the past four years. In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara's memory may be made to Waveny LifeCare Network, 3 Farm Road, New Canaan, CT 06840.