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July 7, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Thursday from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.
Catherine Romanski, age 78 of Wayne, died after a long and courageous battle with cancer on Saturday, July 7, 2012.
Her children will tell you that she was the best of the best mother in the whole world. She will be remembered for her strength of character and determination. She was a devoted and dedicated mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and grandmother.
Born in Jersey City, Catherine was actually born and known to her family as “Sondra” and grew up in Bayonne, NJ. The little girl with two first names was always dressed in pink and early in her life earned a nickname that stuck with her, and is still affectionately used by her husband and brother. She enjoyed a childhood rich in Polish Catholic heritage and tradition. Her grandparents lived upstairs from her and spoke Polish around the house and her father operated a wholesale floral business. His enterprise was successful and as a young lady, Catherine enjoyed such luxuries as a telephone in her own home. She graduated from St. Dominic Academy in 1950 and was awarded two scholarships to college. However, her father was very ill at the time and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving her family to go to school full time, and instead got a job as at a New York bank and then Colgate-Palmolive to help out with family expenses. College would have to wait. After working her day job, she would come home at night and work at the family business, making and delivering floral arrangements in addition to managing the bills and accounts. She was no stranger to hard work and long hours.
Catherine met her husband Frank while they were both members of the Catholic Youth Organization. Their first date was when Frank asked her to play tennis one day and ‘love’ was truly part of the game that day. They really hit it off and rather than part ways, decided to take a walk over the Bayonne Bridge with the thought of taking the ferry from Staten Island back to Bayonne. They missed that last ferry and had to walk back over the bridge, exhausted. Frank finally brought her home after 3:00 a.m. They saw each other nearly every day after that, enjoying many dates and outings. One particular outing was to Jones Beach, NY, which turned into another very late night, as they trains had stopped running and they mistakenly thought that the bus that could have gotten them home was going to a different location, called “Garage” (not realizing “Garage” meant it was making its last loop for the night)! They finally arrived at Catherine’s doorstop a little after 4 am this time, to a strongly-worded greeting from Catherine’s mom. Their love was strong and Frank soon proposed. They were married on August 27, 1955 and their honeymoon proved to be rather memorable in some unexpected ways. Their car was broken into and all their luggage and jewelry stolen. The police asked Frank to leave the car right where it was so that they could come back in the daylight the following day and do a thorough investigation. Frank woke up to find a parking ticket on the car. They eventually made it to Cape Cod (four flat tires along the way), arriving on the same day as a major hurricane. Upon returning to Bayonne, they discovered that their wedding photographer’s studio had burned to the ground, along with all of their wedding photos. All was not completely lost, however, when the photographer discovered one roll of film that he inadvertently left in his jacket pocket when he went home that night. Some photo’s had indeed survived. Nonetheless, Catherine and Frank realized that if they could endure all of this in just the first few days of their marriage, they could survive anything. They would have celebrated fifty seven years together next month.
In 1963 they settled in Wayne and raised their seven children. Catherine became active with all the children’s activities, sports, music lessons, dance and more. She became a Cub Scout Den Mother and Frank was an assistant Scoutmaster and their son Frank became an Eagle Scout. Catherine also served as a CCD teacher for nearly twenty years and was very active at the Our Lady of the Valley parish. She was president of the Women’s Club, served as a Eucharistic Minister, cleaned and pressed the church linens and also chaired meals for the elderly and sick for many, many years. She was also a substitute secretary and aide with the Wayne Schools.
At sixty-eight years old, with seven grown children and twelve grandchildren, Catherine decided that her college plans had waited long enough. She enrolled as a full-time student at William Paterson University and after ten determined years, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at the age of seventy-two, with a combined GPA of 3.4. It was a long awaited accomplishment for her and she received overwhelming applause and a standing ovation during the commencement ceremony in 2006. Her story was even featured on the front page of the local newspapers at the time. A humble woman who initially had not even planned on attending the ceremony, she was taken aback when she would be approached by women in the local grocery store or shopping mall and they would share with her that they had heard about, or read her story, and that she had inspired them to also return to college.
Catherine is survived by her loving and devoted husband Frank of Wayne, seven children: Frank Romanski and his wife Audrey of Kinnelon, NJ, James Romanski and his wife Patricia of Gilford, CT, Gerard Romanski of Wayne, Dr. Lizbeth Romanski and her husband Dr. David Kornack of Rochester, NY, Mark Romanski and his wife Paula of Florham Park, NJ, Joyce Romanski-Daley and her husband Robert Daley of Yardley, PA, and Barbara Bogley and her husband Jamie of Middletown, MD; fourteen grandchildren: Frank, Danielle, and Stephanie Romanski of Kinnelon, NJ, Sydney and Nicholas of Guilford, CT, Keith and Julie Romanski of Wayne, NJ, Emily Kornack of Rochester, NY, Allison and Laura of Florham Park, NJ, Cassandra and Jessica Daley of Yardley, PA and Abigail and Grady Bogley of Middletown, MD. She is also survived by her brother Dr. Frank Pilkiewicz and his wife Carolyn of Princeton Junction, NJ. She was predeceased by her sister, Barbara Kirk of Bayonne, NJ in 2004, and previously by her parents, Frank and Catherine Pilkiewicz of Bayonne.
In addition to her love of flowers, which she nurtured by growing flowering plants, bushes and gardens around her home, Catherine especially enjoyed family gatherings and celebrating holidays with all of her family surrounding her at the family home. For decades she hosted Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving dinners for 30-plus people (merely her immediate family), and creating ribbons of memory for her children and grandchildren that are part of the fabric of their lives and the strong sense of family-unity that she imparted to them.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Thursday from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.
July 7, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Thursday from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.
Catherine Romanski, age 78 of Wayne, died after a long and courageous battle with cancer on Saturday, July 7, 2012.
Her children will tell you that she was the best of the best mother in the whole world. She will be remembered for her strength of character and determination. She was a devoted and dedicated mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and grandmother.
Born in Jersey City, Catherine was actually born and known to her family as “Sondra” and grew up in Bayonne, NJ. The little girl with two first names was always dressed in pink and early in her life earned a nickname that stuck with her, and is still affectionately used by her husband and brother. She enjoyed a childhood rich in Polish Catholic heritage and tradition. Her grandparents lived upstairs from her and spoke Polish around the house and her father operated a wholesale floral business. His enterprise was successful and as a young lady, Catherine enjoyed such luxuries as a telephone in her own home. She graduated from St. Dominic Academy in 1950 and was awarded two scholarships to college. However, her father was very ill at the time and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving her family to go to school full time, and instead got a job as at a New York bank and then Colgate-Palmolive to help out with family expenses. College would have to wait. After working her day job, she would come home at night and work at the family business, making and delivering floral arrangements in addition to managing the bills and accounts. She was no stranger to hard work and long hours.
Catherine met her husband Frank while they were both members of the Catholic Youth Organization. Their first date was when Frank asked her to play tennis one day and ‘love’ was truly part of the game that day. They really hit it off and rather than part ways, decided to take a walk over the Bayonne Bridge with the thought of taking the ferry from Staten Island back to Bayonne. They missed that last ferry and had to walk back over the bridge, exhausted. Frank finally brought her home after 3:00 a.m. They saw each other nearly every day after that, enjoying many dates and outings. One particular outing was to Jones Beach, NY, which turned into another very late night, as they trains had stopped running and they mistakenly thought that the bus that could have gotten them home was going to a different location, called “Garage” (not realizing “Garage” meant it was making its last loop for the night)! They finally arrived at Catherine’s doorstop a little after 4 am this time, to a strongly-worded greeting from Catherine’s mom. Their love was strong and Frank soon proposed. They were married on August 27, 1955 and their honeymoon proved to be rather memorable in some unexpected ways. Their car was broken into and all their luggage and jewelry stolen. The police asked Frank to leave the car right where it was so that they could come back in the daylight the following day and do a thorough investigation. Frank woke up to find a parking ticket on the car. They eventually made it to Cape Cod (four flat tires along the way), arriving on the same day as a major hurricane. Upon returning to Bayonne, they discovered that their wedding photographer’s studio had burned to the ground, along with all of their wedding photos. All was not completely lost, however, when the photographer discovered one roll of film that he inadvertently left in his jacket pocket when he went home that night. Some photo’s had indeed survived. Nonetheless, Catherine and Frank realized that if they could endure all of this in just the first few days of their marriage, they could survive anything. They would have celebrated fifty seven years together next month.
In 1963 they settled in Wayne and raised their seven children. Catherine became active with all the children’s activities, sports, music lessons, dance and more. She became a Cub Scout Den Mother and Frank was an assistant Scoutmaster and their son Frank became an Eagle Scout. Catherine also served as a CCD teacher for nearly twenty years and was very active at the Our Lady of the Valley parish. She was president of the Women’s Club, served as a Eucharistic Minister, cleaned and pressed the church linens and also chaired meals for the elderly and sick for many, many years. She was also a substitute secretary and aide with the Wayne Schools.
At sixty-eight years old, with seven grown children and twelve grandchildren, Catherine decided that her college plans had waited long enough. She enrolled as a full-time student at William Paterson University and after ten determined years, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at the age of seventy-two, with a combined GPA of 3.4. It was a long awaited accomplishment for her and she received overwhelming applause and a standing ovation during the commencement ceremony in 2006. Her story was even featured on the front page of the local newspapers at the time. A humble woman who initially had not even planned on attending the ceremony, she was taken aback when she would be approached by women in the local grocery store or shopping mall and they would share with her that they had heard about, or read her story, and that she had inspired them to also return to college.
Catherine is survived by her loving and devoted husband Frank of Wayne, seven children: Frank Romanski and his wife Audrey of Kinnelon, NJ, James Romanski and his wife Patricia of Gilford, CT, Gerard Romanski of Wayne, Dr. Lizbeth Romanski and her husband Dr. David Kornack of Rochester, NY, Mark Romanski and his wife Paula of Florham Park, NJ, Joyce Romanski-Daley and her husband Robert Daley of Yardley, PA, and Barbara Bogley and her husband Jamie of Middletown, MD; fourteen grandchildren: Frank, Danielle, and Stephanie Romanski of Kinnelon, NJ, Sydney and Nicholas of Guilford, CT, Keith and Julie Romanski of Wayne, NJ, Emily Kornack of Rochester, NY, Allison and Laura of Florham Park, NJ, Cassandra and Jessica Daley of Yardley, PA and Abigail and Grady Bogley of Middletown, MD. She is also survived by her brother Dr. Frank Pilkiewicz and his wife Carolyn of Princeton Junction, NJ. She was predeceased by her sister, Barbara Kirk of Bayonne, NJ in 2004, and previously by her parents, Frank and Catherine Pilkiewicz of Bayonne.
In addition to her love of flowers, which she nurtured by growing flowering plants, bushes and gardens around her home, Catherine especially enjoyed family gatherings and celebrating holidays with all of her family surrounding her at the family home. For decades she hosted Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving dinners for 30-plus people (merely her immediate family), and creating ribbons of memory for her children and grandchildren that are part of the fabric of their lives and the strong sense of family-unity that she imparted to them.
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