Catherine M. Hayner, of Verona and Belmar, entered into eternal rest on March 23, 2015, at home surrounded by her family. She was 89.
Catherine was born on August 13, 1925 to Peter B. Higgins, Sr. and Catherine M. Healy. She attended Holy Cross Elementary and Queen of Peace High School. After graduation, Catherine started working at Harrison National Bank where she met the love of her life, Ted. Aside from caring for their four children, Catherine was a past president of Our Lady of the Lake Rosary Altar Society and volunteered at numerous church events. She later worked at Caldwell College for many years with her dear friend, Sister Catherine Waters, OP.
Family was the center of Catherine’s life. She especially enjoyed spending her summers in Belmar, sitting on the deck and entertaining many friends and family who would stop by to say hello. She always had a smile, a kind word and a cold drink for you. An avid fan, the Yankees and Giants were frequent topics of conversation. In recent years her caregiver Marie Ann made her laugh every day and gave her the quality of care that she so richly deserved.
Catherine is predeceased by her parents, her husband of 53 years, Edward M. Hayner, her son Edward P. and her siblings, Peter B. Higgins, Jr., Mary C. Higgins and Elizabeth J. Gerris. Her memory will live on with her children, Thomas and his wife Denise, Clare and Sharon, her grandchildren, Shawn and her fiancé Anthony, Thomas, Danielle and Christine, her sister Helen J. Robinson, sister-in-law Mildred L. Hayner, several generations of nieces and nephews and many dear friends and cousins.
Visitation for family and friends will be from 3 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25 at the Prout Funeral Home, 370 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona. The funeral will be conducted at 9 a.m. on Thursday from the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at St. Aloysius Church, Caldwell at 10 a.m. Interment will be in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Upper Montclair.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Catherine’s name to the Sisters of St. Dominic, One Ryerson Avenue, Caldwell, NJ 07006 or Camp Fatima of NJ, PO Box 654, Harrison, NJ 07029.
