Catherine C. Schroeder

Catherine C. Schroeder (née Colosimo), an East Hanover resident since 1963, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 22, 2025, surrounded by her family and holding hands with her husband Richard. She was 88 years old.

Catherine was born in 1936 to Dominick and Domenica Colosimo in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Madison, New Jersey with her older brother Fred, often making weekend trips to Brooklyn and Summit to visit family. She was a graduate of Madison High School.

Catherine met her husband, Richard Schroeder, the first and only love of her life at her first job when she was 20 years old. They immediately fell in love, married in 1958, and spent the last 66 years sharing the purest of love together. To this day, Richard marvels at how “great a gal” he found. They bought their first and only home together in East Hanover in 1963 where they raised their daughter Stephanie and son Robert.

Catherine was a natural homemaker and, true to her Sicilian and Calabrian roots, was the matriarch of her family. She raised her children with deep family values and such a strong sense of home that both Stephanie and Robert decided to start their own families just a few houses up the street, where they still live today.  Catherine was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She coached Stephanie’s softball team, was an active band parent where she served as HPHS Band Parent President for two years, and never missed an important event throughout Robert and Stephanie’s lives. 

After raising her children, Catherine returned to work at the Hanover Pharmacy for many years. She spent several years at the Nabisco company store in East Hanover before finishing her career at Madison Pharmacy, where she took great pride in her clerical and administrative duties. She found joy in playing the piano from a very young age, rooting for her beloved New York Yankees, mastering 1000-piece puzzles, bowling, needlepointing, and the simple pleasures of cooking for her family and keeping an incredibly tidy home. Catherine loved celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, along with those big summertime barbeques where the whole extended family would come together. She absolutely adored her grandchildren and great grandchildren and was actively involved in their lives.

Catherine shared her faith in God with her friends and family and was a devout member of the Catholic Church.

Catherine is survived by her beloved husband Richard A. Schroeder; her daughter Stephanie A. Maloney and her husband Mark H. Maloney, her son Robert A. Schroeder and his wife Lisa C. Schroeder; her grandchildren Tracy Catherine, Michael, Timothy, Diana, and Stephen; her great grandchildren Skylar, Jayden, and Julian; along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

Catherine was predeceased by her parents Dominick and Domenica, her brother Fred, and her (and the family’s) dog Tippy.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in Catherine’s name to “Save Sight Now” to help cure childhood blindness from Usher Syndrome (https://give.fightingblindness.org/campaign/save-sight-now_cf/c243202) or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Visitation: Thursday, February 27th (4-7pm), at Leonardis Memorial Home (210 Ridgedale Ave, Florham Park, NJ)

Funeral: Friday, February 28th, assembling at the funeral home at 9am, followed by the funeral mass at St. Rose of Lima Church in East Hanover at 10am.  Interment to follow at St. Teresa of Avila Cemetery in Summit.