Obituary of Catherine S. Math
Catherine (Kay) Math of Franklin Lakes, NJ was born Catherine Rose Suder in Hooversville, PA on April 14, 1931. The eldest daughter of Mary R. Suder and Joseph Suder, Kay grew up on a multigenerational working farm in western Pennsylvania. She took great pride in her ‘farm girl’ heritage and carried forward the Polish/Russian traditions of her parents and grandparents. Kay was a natural leader as cheerleader and class president in high school. Upon graduating from business school, Kay relocated to Washington D.C. where she worked in the offices of the U.S. Navy. Kay met her future husband of 23 years, Daniel J. Math (deceased) in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Kay and Dan were married on July 9, 1960 and lived in both Oak Brook, IL and Kalamazoo, MI, where they started their family. In 1968, they re-located to Franklin Lakes, NJ where Kay was an active member in both the church and community for her nearly 50 years as a resident. Kay loved all things to do with flowers and gardening and was an exceptional cook and baker. With her dear friend Joan Hebert, she launched Cookie Mom’s and Flower Mom’s to share their passions and raise funds for local schools.
She showed her love of family through her actions. Large family holiday dinners were a hallmark of Kay and she embodied the spirit of Christmas, decorating and wrapping gifts artfully.
Kay will be remembered for her warmth, creativity, generosity of spirit and remarkable thoughtfulness. She dedicated her life to her family and is survived by her daughters, Irene, Nancy (Murphy), Rosemary, Suzanne (Schwarz) and son, Anthony, grandchildren Daniel and Lauren Murphy and Sabrina, Keira and Juliette Schwarz. She is also survived by her dear sister Maryann Wells and her brother is John Suder.
Kay will be buried in a private funeral service at Gate of Heaven cemetary. A memorial mass for friends and family will be held on a future date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kay’s memory to The Little Sisters of the Poor or the Salvation Army.