Obituary of Kathleen Szymanski
Kathleen Szymanski, aged 88, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2023, at the St. Joseph’s Village Care Center in Chicago, IL. Kathleen was born in Jersey City and was raised in Bayonne before she moved to Martinsville, where she lived for over 60 years. Summer, her favorite season, was spent at the family's cherished beach house in Avalon, New Jersey.
She recently relocated to Chicago four years ago to be closer to her son and daughter and her grandchildren and lived a happy life at Brookdale.
Kathleen began her career as an administrative assistant for the Ford Motor Company in Newark. She married a fellow parishioner from Mount Carmel Parish, Chester Szymanski. They moved to Florida, where Chester received his Master’s degree, and Kathy continued her career working as an assistant for the FBI. She took a hiatus from her career to raise her family but returned to public service when her children went to college, working for the Bridgewater Police Department and the Margrace Company where she retired as their Human Resources Director.
An active member of her community, Kathleen was involved with Blessed Sacrament RC Church in Martinsville. During her children's youth, she volunteered as a den mother for her son's Boy Scouts troop and also co-led her daughter’s 4H Club. She volunteered her time to Literacy Volunteers of America, teaching adults to read, and was a member of the local Martinsville philanthropic group, the Sky Crest Club.
Throughout her marriage, Kathleen often traveled with her husband Chester, accompanying him on business trips around the world to India, France, South Africa, Holland, and other far-flung places. They crisscrossed the US, visiting their children, family, and friends.
Chester Szymanski predeceased her in 2004.
Kathleen is survived by her three children, Andrew Szymanski, and Elaine Armstrong, and her spouse, George Armstrong, Susan Szymanski, and her two grandchildren, Christopher Szymanski and Lillian Szymanski.
A visitation will be held on Friday, July 7, 2023, from 4 to 7 pm, at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. A funeral mass is scheduled for the following day, Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 10 am at Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church, 1890 Washington Valley Road, Martinsville, NJ. An interment at Holy Cross Cemetery in Basking Ridge is to follow after the mass.
Memorial donations can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of Kathleen Szymanski.
