Catherine (O'Hare) Hern

Catherine Hern, our matriarch, died in Darlington, SC, on May 26, 2022, after an incredible 105 years. She was born in New York City in December, 1916 to George and Nellie O’Hare. After her parents' untimely deaths in 1929 she and her sister were raised by her mother’s sister Isabel and Gus Dammeyer. It was a difficult life during the Great Depression, and the family was forced to move a lot. She finally settled in Jersey City, NJ, where in 1938 she met and married our Dad, John A. Hern, who predeceased her in 1989. They were great parents to three children, who survive her, Mary Gallagher of Florence, SC, Michael Hern and his wife Meri of Sugar Hill, NH, and Kate and her husband Gordon Moss of Littleton, NH. Catherine and John bought their first house in Dumont, NJ, and Catherine maintained a love for New Jersey for her entire life. After John died, she moved to Toms River, NJ to be closer to her beloved younger sister Isabel O’Hare Bauwens, whom she lost in 2015. She had a special place in her heart for “the Bauwens kids.” When she could no longer live alone, she moved in with Kate and Gordon in Littleton until she decided it was “too darn cold.” She decided to go south and moved in with Mary and her husband Bill. She eventually settled in Bethea Retirement Community, where she lived in independent living, taking care of herself almost until the end. The family will be eternally grateful to the loving and caring staff there, who helped her have a calm and happy life. She is also survived by 7 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, and 4 great great grandchildren, to whom she was the beloved ‘Grams.’ She was predeceased by her precious granddaughter, Carolyn Moss in February 2022. She loved them all. She had an incredible life in those 105 years, and she left us a legacy of strength and endurance that will carry us through our entire lives. She will be sorely missed.