Ruth Barcafer

With family at her side, Ruth Barcafer (nee Autera) left us on January 18, 2026 to be with her beloved husband, Phil.

Ruth was born in Passaic, NJ on March 20, 1935 to Michael and Laura Autera (nee Vandervliet). She attended Ridgewood High School. Upon graduation, she attended Western College for Women, where she met the love of her life, Phillip Dale Barcafer, who was attending nearby Miami University. They married in 1956 and spent the next 69 years at each other's side.

Together, they settled down in Bergen County NJ and raised their family. She was a housewife for many years, then entered the workforce part-time for a small insurance agency. As the company grew, she grew as well and rose through the ranks to become the office manager and service executive for their largest accounts.

Ruth was a woman of deep faith. She read her bible and prayed every day and dedicated her spare time to church activities. At the Wyckoff Reformed Church, she was a Sunday school teacher, the chair of the Board of Christian Education, an Elder, and a lay pastor. Once she and Phil moved to Langhorne PA, she became an active member of the Newtown Presbyterian Church continuing her Stephen Ministry and leading a bible study group.

Ruth was a woman of many talents, such as sewing, knitting and cooking. At Christmas there were always handknit sweaters and socks under the tree. From a holiday gathering to a weeknight dinner, there was always delicious homemade food on the table.

Her favorite place was Highland Lake in Maine. She and Phil went there on their honeymoon and returned to the same place for the next 65 years. The trip to Maine was the highlight of every family member's year. There, from a small cabin on the side of the lake, she read, canoed with Phil and the three kids; and every morning, she would sit on the porch reading her Bible. Her children still go there to this day, as do her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by a son, Phillip Dale Barcafer, Jr. and his wife, Catherine (nee Chabal); a daughter, Susan Cohen, and her husband, Steven Cohen; grandchildren - Ryan Barth, and his wife, Christy Mainley-Barth, Cory Barth, Zachary Cohen, and Alyssa Cohen, and her husband, Montana O'Neill; and great-grandchildren - Gavin Barth, Delaney Barth, and Grayson 0'Neill. She was pre-deceased by her husband, Phillip Dale Barcafer, a daughter, Deborah Ruth Barcafer, her parents, Michael and Laura Autera, and her brother, Michael E Autera.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your charity of choice.

Family and friends are invited to Ruth's Life Celebration on Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 10:00-11:00am at Newtown Presbyterian Church, 25 N. Chancellor Street, Newtown, PA 18940. Her Memorial Service will follow at 11:00am.

Inurnment will be held at a later date.

1-800-GIVNISH