CATHERINE BRIDGET BENDER

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO: OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE FOOD PANTRY OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHURCH 1907 UNION VALLEY ROAD HEWITT, NJ 07421 Please make your check payable to Our Lady Queen of Peace and note donation to the food pantry in memory of Catherine Bender in the check memo. or to Strengthen Our Sisters an organization dedicated to serving the most under-served and vulnerable population in northern New Jersey Make a Donation – Strengthen Our Sisters. www.strengthenoursisters.org/make-a-donation VISITATION: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 10AM TO 11AM OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE RC CHURCH 1911 UNION VALLEY ROAD HEWITT, NJ 07421 973-728-8162 FUNERAL MASS: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 11AM OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE RC CHURCH 1911 UNION VALLEY ROAD HEWITT, NJ 07421 973-728-8162 INTERMENT: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 FOLLOWING FUNERAL MASS IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CEMETERY FRANKLIN, NJ Catherine Bridget Bender, known to her family as Sis, died on Thursday, January 19, 2023. Catherine was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in November of 1928, to the late Mary (Mearns) Howard and Michael Howard, originally of Kildare, Ireland. She enjoyed a happy and eventful childhood in West Paterson, New Jersey, along with her sisters Mary Ulrich (Howard), Julia Ann Howard, and her brother Michael Joseph Howard. All her siblings and in-laws, Jack Ulrich and Jean Howard, predeceased Catherine. Baptized in Saint Mary’s Church in Paterson, Catherine was confirmed and married in Saint Bonaventure’s also in Paterson and was a proud graduate of Saint Bonaventure’s Schools (her St. Bon’s). She was a faithful parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Hewitt, New Jersey for almost six decades. Retired from Bell Atlantic, now Verizon, in 1993, Catherine remained a supporter of the Association of BellTel Retirees. Catherine learned her cooking, baking, and sewing skills from her mother and beloved Aunt Nanny, the late Anne (Mearns) Nolan. Skilled in many trades learned from her father, she mixed and poured the concrete for the sidewalks around her West Milford, New Jersey home much to the amazement of a neighbor, a skilled mason himself, who pronounced her work outstanding. Catherine noted that while he checked her progress carefully, he wasn’t hands-on. She learned gardening of both flowers and vegetables from her parents and her beloved Aunt Anne (Mearns) Nolan and Uncle Peter Nolan. Her parents along with her aunt and uncle had a reverence for nature which she inherited and celebrated with special appreciation of birds, flowers and trees. Catherine enjoyed her travels across the United States, including to the Grand Canyon, and to St. Thomas, VI. Whether traveling locally or long-distance travel, Catherine enjoyed learning about people and places. In recent years, her enjoyment of the Amazing Race television show continued to spark this interest. Catherine’s dedication to her parents, and family and a commitment to show love and support for family, friends, and neighbors continued throughout her life and will remain an inspiration. Catherine is survived by her daughters Kathleen Mazza (Joseph Mazza), Patricia Bender, Joann Raleigh (William Raleigh), and Eileen Fajvan (George Fajvan), daughter-in-law Joanne Howard, and by her son Michael Bender. Also surviving Catherine are her grandchildren James Mazza (Stephanie Mazza), Melissa Seeley (Brian Seeley), Mary Howard, Janine Sampong (Kwaku Sampong), Colleen Raleigh, Kelly Raleigh, Bridget Fajvan, great grandchildren, and her niece Maureen Duffy (Ulrich), nephews Robert Ulrich, Mark Howard, Kevin Howard, Brian Howard, their partners and spouses, and great-grand nieces and nephews. Catherine is predeceased by her son John Barry Howard and nephew Joseph Ulrich. The family will receive visitors on Thursday, January 26, 2023 from 10am to 11am followed by the funeral mass at 11am at Our Lady Queen of Peace RC Church, 1911 Union Valley Road, Hewitt, NJ 07421. The interment will follow at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Franklin, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Our Lady Queen of Peace Food Panty (Please make your check payable to Our Lady Queen of Peace and note donation to the food pantry in memory of Catherine Bender in the check memo. Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 1907 Union Valley Road, Hewitt, NJ 07421) or to Strengthen Our Sisters, an organization dedicated to serving the most under-served and vulnerable population in northern New Jersey; www.strengthenoursisters.org/make-a-donation On line condolences and directions: www.sticklesolteszfuneralhome.com.

CATHERINE BRIDGET BENDER

November 30, 1928 - January 19, 2023