Obituary of Catherine Harte

Catherine Claire Harte (nee Hanningan), 98, known to her friends as Kay, passed away on September 3, 2023.

Visitation will be held at The Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, 2122 Millburn Avenue, Maplewood, NJ on Sunday, Sept 10th from 12:00-4:00 PM.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Rose of Lima Church, 50 Short Hills Avenue, Short Hills, NJ on Monday Sept 11^th at 10:00 AM.

Interment will follow at St. Teresa’s Cemetery, Summit, NJ.

Kay was born to Irish immigrants Martin and Catherine Hannigan (nee McLoughlin) and grew up in Philadelphia with her sister Mary. She spent her career before marriage as a court stenographer for the US government.

Kay loved to share stories of growing up during the Depression. They had a positive focus on the people in her neighborhood and the challenges they faced. She had stories of dancing at the club Chez Vous with her husband, James W. Harte Jr, and taking weekend trips to Wildwood with her girlfriends. Her stories served to keep her parents a part of our family spirit.

Kay and Jim raised three children, Jimmy, Johnny and Kathy in Summit, New Jersey, where she was an active volunteer serving as Den Mother for the Boy Scouts, Transportation Coordinator for the Summit Red Cross, Coordinator of Volunteers for the Help Desk of Overlook Hospital, and President of the Summit Fortnightly Club, to name a few.

Kay was a staunch supporter of her children throughout their lives and made it through the tragedy of losing her son, John, after trying so hard to help him.

Kay embraced opportunities to help others. She hosted Japanese foreign exchange students, one of whom remains a cherished friend to our family today. She welcomed a family from El Salvador as they built their new life in America. They have become a cherished part of the Harte family.

Kay loved traveling. As a young woman she would take the trolley all over Philadelphia. At 25, she traveled to Italy, England and Ireland. In Ireland, she cemented kinship with her relatives in County Mayo, a bond that exists today.

In later life, Kay traveled throughout North America, including Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, Europe, Israel, Iceland and the USSR. She shared her love of travel with her grandchildren by taking them on train rides and frequently took Amtrak to visit her grandchildren in Rochester NY.

Kay was an avid newspaper reader with a passion for following current events in the US and abroad. She was a dog lover and told us funny stories about her childhood dog, Don, and enriched the lives of our family by always including wonderful dogs in our home.

Kay is predeceased by her son John Damien Harte, her sister, Mary Malloy (Martin Malloy), and her husband, James W Harte Jr. She is survived by her son, James Patrick Harte, her daughter, Kathleen Harte Gilsenan (Jim Gilsenan), her six grandchildren, Kelly Shultz (Paul Shultz), Conor Gilsenan (Jordan Fischer), Brendan Gilsenan (Meghan Dowling), James M. Harte, Kevin Harte (Chelsea Morgan) and Frances Harte, and four great-grandchildren Henry, Molly, Emmett and Liv.

Kay was a wonderful wife, mother, friend, grandmother and great-grandmother. Now, as our family says goodbye, we will keep her memory alive for her grandchildren and

great-grandchildren through their own stories of her wonderful life.

In place of flowers, please consider sending a bouquet to a caregiver who has made a difference in your life.