It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Catherine Margaret Okerson of Metuchen, NJ — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
Some lives speak quietly; her is one such story.
Catherine held deeply to the Catholic faith — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew her best.
Faith is the language some lives are written in. Catherine's was one.
Catherine M. Okerson, 97, of Edison passed away on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
She was born in Jersey City to the late Walter and Rose (n. McVay) Long. After she married her husband, Bill, they settled down in Metuchen and Edison where they raised their family. They then moved to Rossmoor in Monroe. Catherine led a life full of generosity and faith. Outside of taking care of her family, she volunteered at church and the libraries in Rossmoor and Monroe. She helped at Food Banks and was a member of the PTA at St. Francis Cathedral School. She was a parishioner at St. Francis Cathedral and the Nativity of our Lord Roman Catholic Church in Monroe. Additionally, she was a Eucharist Minister at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Cathy loved to travel and even climbed to the top of Diamond Head, in Hawaii, at the age of 78. She enjoyed walking, playing Bridge with her friends and cherished her time spent with family.
Catherine was predeceased by her husband, William E. Okerson (1996); her son, Robert William (1976); and her brother, Walter Long.
She is survived by her children: Pat Romeo and her husband Wayne of Edison, Jim Okerson of Colorado, Ann Manning and her husband Ed of Hazlet, and John Okerson and his wife Jayne of North Carolina; her eight grandchildren, Brian and his wife Marlena, Andrea and her husband Darshan, Terry and her husband Steve, Greg, Rose, Matt, Meghan, and Samantha; and her four great-grandchildren, Gavin, Chase, Dhilan, and Maya.
A Viewing will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026 from 4 to 8pm at the Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, 568 Middlesex Ave. Metuchen.
The funeral will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 9:30am from the Funeral Home followed by a Funeral Mass at 10am at St. Francis Cathedral. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Metuchen.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to McAuley Hall Health Care Center, 1633 US Highway 22 , Watchung, NJ 07069. Or Doctors Without Borders .
