Barbara "Bea" (Katz) Cagan, age 82, of Springfield, sadly and unexpectedly passed away on January 27, 2012. Barbara was employed for many years as a Clerk Typist/Secretary for the City of Springfield School Department, working most of her years at the Dryden Veterans Memorial School in Springfield. Most recently, Barbara took great pleasure in volunteering at the same school in their library. She also volunteered for other organizations in her community. When Barbara started working for the school department, her first job assignment was at the Department of Psychological and Social Services. Over the years, Barbara used to enjoy all kinds of arts and crafts, but what she loved most was calligraphy. She taught herself the craft and whenever possible would be crafts using calligraphy. Barbara especially enjoyed writing out envelopes for party invitations. Although Barbara was encouraged many times to market her creations, she insisted that she did not want any compensation because she preferred whatever she did for others come from her heart. As for the baking, two top favorites of hers (and the family, too) were mandel bread and apple cake. Barbara was the daughter of the late Jacob Katz and Rose (Krakov) Katz, and pre-deceased by her husband Robert Cagan, brother Bernard Katz and sister Emma Levin. Barbara is survived by her daughter Judy (Cagan) Berger and son-law Richard Berger of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, son Kenneth Cagan and daughter-in-law Sophia (Bacall) Cagan, of Coral Springs, FL, and son Steven Cagan of Efrat, Israel. Barbara is also survived by her grandchildren Jeremy Berger, of Westford, VT and Zachary Cagan and Brianna Cagan of Coral Springs, FL. Sadly, Barbara was predeceased by granddaughter Rebecca Gayle Berger. Her graveside service will be held TODAY Monday Jan. 30th at 12:00 PM at City of Homes Cemetery in Springfield. Shiva will be observed at the home of Jan and David Finkelstein, 107 Fernwood Dr. in East Longmeadow. Donations in Barbara's memory may be made to the Rebecca Gayle Berger Scholarship Fund, Stevenson High School, One Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069 or the American Heart Association . For further information or directions, please visit ascherzimmerman.com.
Published in The Republican from January 29 to January 30, 2012