Obituary of Kathleen Eva Byrne

Kathleen Eva (Sharkey) Byrne, 91 - Kathleen Eva Byrne (nee Sharkey) passed away on February 26, 2013 at her son's home in Verona. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday March 2, 2013 at The Dangler Funeral Home of West Orange, 340 Main Street in West Orange at 8:30 AM followed by a mass of Christian burial at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1 Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange, NJ at 9:30 AM. Interment will follow at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover. Visitation will be held on Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Predeceased by her husband, Martin, her parents Pat and Mary Sharkey, her sister, Una Bennett, and brothers John, Vincent, Patrick, Noel, and Alfie Sharkey, Kathleen is survived by her children Maureen Fahy and her husband Joseph, Eamon Byrne and Mary, and Kevin Byrne and his wife Maura. Kathleen is also survived by her sister, Marian Dittman, brothers Ted and Dermott Sharkey, six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Kathleen was born and raised in Tibohine, County Roscommon, Ireland. She moved to England during World War II where she worked as a nurse until 1948 when she married Martin Byrne in Manchester. Kathleen and Martin moved to New Jersey in 1949 and lived briefly in Orange before moving to West Orange where they resided in the same home for almost 60 years. Kathleen was a nurse at several health facilities including St. Mary's Hospital in Orange, Community Hospital in Montclair, Essex County Hospital in Cedar Grove, and Cherry Nursing Home in Montclair. Kathleen was involved in many civic and charitable organizations including the Women of Irish Heritage, the Catholic Daughters, and the Rosary Altar Society. She always felt a special bond with her parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Comboni Missionaries of Montclair. Kathleen was a very social and caring person who would go out of her way to visit the sick or give a ride to a stranger. She enjoyed nothing more than bringing her lady friends to the West Orange town pool where they would sit and talk for hours about nothing in particular. She will be missed but never forgotten.