A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Dec. 31 at St. Joseph Church in West Milford for Catherine V. (McKernan) Kitchell of Pompton Plains, who died on Dec. 26. She was 94.
Kitchell and her husband, Edward T., now deceased, began their life in Pompton Plains. In the early 1950s, they settled at Kitchell Lake in West Milford. In retirement, they moved to Manahawkin and later returned to Pompton Plains to be closer to family. Kitchell’s first vocation was raising a family.
As her youngest children neared high school age, Kitchell pursued a career in the medical field. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from William Paterson University. Kitchell was a registered nurse with a Veterans Administration hospital. She later earned a master’s degree in psychology. Kitchell was a school nurse in the districts of Paterson and West Milford, from which she retired.
A lifelong learner, Kitchell traveled to Paris and Montreal in her retirement during the summer months to study French language and culture at university. In her life, she loved windsurfing with her late husband, hiking, and gardening. Kitchell worshiped at St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford. In retirement, she was an active member of the Catholic community at Cedar Crest Senior Living in Pompton Plains, where she lived for the past 16 years.
Kitchell is survived by her children, 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; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and her sister, Rose. She was predeceased by her husband, Edward T.; her siblings, Peggy, Jack, Eddie, Betty, Anne, Agnes, Tommy, and Charlie; and her grandchildren, Megan Buske and Nicholas Pizetoski.
Donations in Kitchell’s memory can be made online to Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese or Tunnels to Towers Foundation.
