Obituary of Catherine M. Hanson

Catherine Marshall Hanson, known to all who loved her as Cathy, died peacefully at home in Mountainside, New Jersey on June 20, 2026, at the age of 77, surrounded by loved ones in her final weeks and moments. After a long life of being “home” for so many who will miss her, she went, as she always believed she would, home to God.

Cathy grew up in Cranford, New Jersey, the daughter of the late Catherine “Kay” and Walter R. Marshall, and beloved sister to the late Walter T. Marshall. From Kay, Cathy inherited everything that would come to define her: an authentically warm personality, a sharp sense of humor, quietly strong opinions, and boatloads of recipes — for cranberry sauce, scalloped potatoes, and more; recipes that her family will spend a lifetime trying, and lovingly failing, to perfectly replicate. Cathy carried Kay with her long after her mother’s death, just as her own daughters will continue to carry her. She deeply cherished being aunt to Walt’s two children and a member of the close knit Marshall family, approaching her role with the same abiding love and fiery humor she brought to every relationship she held dear. 

Cathy attended College Misericordia in Pennsylvania before beginning a calling as a teacher that spanned more than forty years. She spent the heart of her career at Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark, where she taught English and Religion to generations of young women. She led countless drives, Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Gospel choir, and she was known — in the classroom, in the choir, and in the pews — for never holding back her church voice. She mentored and shaped young women not only academically but also by instilling in them a commitment to “doing theology” – an accessible and deeply integrated way of living out one’s faith. For many of her students, she was “ the favorite teacher,” and her classroom was a place they could always return to — a home of sorts, looked after by someone who made them feel seen and understood. She retired in 2018, ready for an endless summer break.

The Jersey Shore was her natural habitat. From family roots in Bayonne, formative summers at the beaches of her youth, family vacations at Monmouth Beach and on Long Beach Island, and countless day trips with her daughters and their friends to everywhere the water called, the shore was one of her truest homes — a place she returned to again and again throughout her life. With windows down and salt air coming through, she would announce it the same way every single time: Cooler at the shore!

In November 1971, Cathy married Robert Hanson, and together they settled in Mountainside, where she would live for the rest of her life and where she made a home in the fullest meaning of the word. They raised three daughters — Meredith, Margot, and Laura — to whom Cathy was the kind of mother who could turn the mundane into the meaningful. She ran what she cheerfully called “Doctor Mom’s Very Fine Clinic, Open 24 Hours a Day.” She gave hugs that communicated more than words ever could. She read aloud with the full cast of character voices each story deserved, and later when her daughters became mothers, she did the same for their boys. She helped her daughters navigate the joys and perils of teenage girlhood, drove them to school and stopped for coffee every single day, and took them shopping for the perfect preppy piece and pearl accent. Through sacrifices both small and significant, she never hesitated to support her family’s needs and dreams. In her later years, she enjoyed simply sitting outside, music playing, drink in hand, just being together. She passed down a love for rum punch, an affinity for Diet Coke, and a model of what unconditional love looks like.

Cathy made friends everywhere she went, at every stage, and in every community of her long, rich life. Schoolmates and college friends, neighbors, fellow parents, colleagues from decades in education, members of her faith communities — she gathered people and kept them, tending to friendships old and new with the same steady warmth that neither time nor distance could diminish. Wherever Cathy was, people felt at home. It was once said that she could make friends with a doorknob; no one who knew her would dispute it. 

Cathy’s Catholic faith was the quiet center of everything. Baptized and married at St. Michael’s in Cranford, she was also known by many at Our Lady of Lourdes in Mountainside, Holy Trinity in Westfield and the Cursillo Community of the Archdiocese of Newark. Later, she led religious education at St. Teresa’s in Summit and actively participated as a member of the community at Corpus Christi in Chatham. Through a lifelong commitment to serving the underserved, Cathy’s behind-the-scenes courage and support sanctioned her family’s roles in St. Joseph Social Service Center, AIDS Ministry-Archdiocese of Newark and National Catholic AIDS Network, bringing her beliefs to life. Her faith was never a mere practice; it was woven into the way she loved people, the way she showed up, and the way she let people go. She believed without reservation in everlasting life, and she faced the end of this one with the quiet confidence of someone who knew the way home.

Cathy is survived by her husband of 54 years, Bob; her daughters Meredith, Margot, and Laura; her sons-in-law Chris and Ryan; and her four beloved grandsons, Joey, Jack, Gavin, and Brooks, for whom she baked Christmas cookies, sang songs, and read every story with her whole heart.

She’ll live in our memories with the warmest smile, gorgeous hair, tortoiseshell glasses, and a perfect pairing of pearls and coastal blues. She looked, always, like she was either just back from the shore or about to leave for it. She is already home.

Funeral services will take place on Saturday, June 27th. There will be a wake held from 9am-10:15am at The Jacob A. Holle Funeral home, 2122 Millburn Ave, Maplewood, NJ, followed by a funeral mass at 11am at Corpus Christi Church, 234 Southern Blvd, Chatham, NJ. All are invited to join Cathy’s family back at their home immediately after mass to celebrate and share her rich life.

In lieu of flowers donations to St. Joseph Social Service Center, 118 Division Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201 or sjeliz.org would be appreciated