Catherine Delma Zerndt, 82,
of Mercer, Wis., died Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at the home of her
daughte r , surrounded by her loved ones. The former Catherine Delma O'Brien was born
Jan. 25, 1931, in Detroit, Mich., daughter of the late William and Catherine
(McGrath) O'Brien. She graduated from Holy Redeemer High School in Detroit,
and attended Mary Grove College there for two years. She moved to Florida with
friends shortly after college, and then moved back to Michigan where she met her
future husband, Norman Zerndt, whom she married on July 14, 1962. She and her
husband raised their children in Palatine, Ill. and later retired to Mercer,
where they lived the rest of their lives. Catherine was very active in St. Isaac Jogues
Catholic Church in Mercer, and loved to visit with others, garden and bake. She
was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend, who always
thought of others first. She had a quiet intelligence with a strong sense of
humor, and loved nature and her life in Mercer surrounded by all of its natural
beauty. Her two greatest loves were God and spending time with her family. We
were always amazed by her strength even in her final days. She kept her sense of
humor throughout her illness and tried to smile through it all. She told us she
liked to smile and she left this world with a smile on her face surrounded by
her family. She will always be a part of our hearts, as she was in life, and
will be missed dearly. Surviving are her children, Jon (Missy)
Zerndt, Jeanne (Loren) Kemp, Julie (Jon) Tegethoff, and Jamie (Erika) Zerndt;
grandchildren, Zack, Max, Maggie, Hayden, Delaney, Brendan, Katie and Jack; and
siblings, Patrick and Mary Ellen O'Brien. Besides her parents, Catherine was predeceased
by her husband, Norman; and siblings, William E. Jr. and Nora Jean
O'Brien. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated
Friday, May 10, at 1 p.m., preceded by visitation at noon, at St. Isaac Jogues
Catholic Church in Mercer, with the Rev. Lourdu Mandapati, celebrant. Donations
to the American Cancer Society are greatly appreciated. Coffee and cake will be served in the parish
hall immediately following the Mass. Rite of
Committal and interment will be in the Mercer Cemetery at a later
date.
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