Catherine V. (McKernan) Kitchell of Pompton Plains passed away on Dec. 26, 2024. She was 94.
She was born Sept. 8, 1930, to Martin and Elizabeth McKernan.
Catherine and her husband, Edward T. Kitchell, began their life in Pompton Plains. In the early 1950s, they settled at Kitchell Lake in West Milford to raise their family.
In retirement, they moved to Manahawkin. Being close to the Shore, they were able to pursue a mutual love of windsurfing.
During the winter months, they often enjoyed the opportunity to windsurf in both Aruba and Bonaire, where the skies were always blue and the winds were perfect!
Their later retirement years brought them full circle as they settled back in Pompton Plains closer to family.
Raising a family was Catherine’s first vocation. Mom was known for “running a tight ship” yet she always found time to teach us to swim, skate, windsurf or just have fun.
She wanted all her children to pursue their dreams and was an advocate for higher education, encouraging us to believe in ourselves and achieve our career goals.
She was a loving mother and enormously proud of all her children. When the grandchildren or great-grandchildren visited, her face would truly light up.
When the youngest siblings were nearing high school age, Catherine set sail on her second career in the medical field. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from William Paterson University and was employed as an RN with the VA hospital.
Following her own best advice, she continued her education, earning a master’s in psychology.
Her extensive knowledge of children made her a natural for the school nurse positions she held first in the City of Paterson School System and subsequently the West Milford Township School District from which she retired.
Being a lifelong learner, in her retirement she traveled to Paris and Montreal during the summer months to study French language and culture at university.
Catherine loved nature and enjoyed hiking in the woods of northern New Jersey. She sometimes joined group hikes in the mountains of West Virginia.
She was an avid and gifted gardener, and if you were lucky enough to be her neighbor, you genuinely enjoyed the view.
More importantly, she loved her family and her faith. She was a communicant of St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford and an active member of the Catholic Parish at Cedar Crest Community in her retirement; she lived there for the past 16 years.
Catherine was predeceased by her siblings Peggy, Jack, Eddie, Betty, Ann, Agnes, Tommy and Charlie, and her grandchildren Megan Buske and Nicholas Pizetoski.
She was the beloved and devoted wife of the late Edward T. Kitchell; the loving mother of Karen (Gerald) Donahue, Edward Kitchell, Ellen Kitchell, Jack (Susan) Kitchell, Patricia (Brett) Ashley, Nancy (Thomas) Ostrowski, Renee (Albert) Kramer, Michele (Richard) Buske, Laurie Kitchell-Ryerson and Diane Pizetoski; and a loving grandmother and great-grandmother many times over. She also was survived by her sister Rose.
Visiting hours will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30 at Scanlan’s, 781 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, 454 Germantown Road, West Milford. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made online to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson (ccpaterson.org/donate) or Tunnels to Towers Foundation (t2t.org).
Mom, we love you!