NATICK: Katherine Penders von der Lieth, 57, of Natick, passed away on Friday, December 26, 2014, at her home. She and Thomas J. von der Lieth were happily married for 25 years.
Born in Bridgeport, CT, and raised in the Lordship section of Stratford, CT, Kathy/Katie was the beloved daughter of the late James William and Lillian Gleason Penders. She graduated from Stratford High School and the Forsythe Dental Assistant Program of Northeastern University.
Kathy was a home day-care provider, creating friendships with her children and their parents. For the past 12 years she was the much-loved Mrs. V, a paraprofessional and expert chocolate chip pancake maker, at Johnson School in Natick. A dedicated runner, gardener, and flower lover, she was a friend to countless people. Kathy’s lifelong friend Holly and special friend Debbie were devoted to her, as were the students and staff of Johnson School. The Red Sox, and for that matter, all the Boston sports teams, have lost an avid fan. The world has lost a bright and shining light, and yet, somehow we know that we will forever feel her love “to the moon and back”.
She is survived by Tom; their much loved son and daughter, James Penders von der Lieth of Charleston, SC, and Lily Katherine von der Lieth of Natick; her three loving brothers, James of Vernon, CT, Thomas of Narragansett RI, and William of Durham, CT; and her in-laws, Jean, Lynne, and John von der Lieth, and Jane Hayes. She was cherished by her 12 nieces and nephews and 18 grandnieces and grandnephews, who lovingly called her Auntie Kath/Aunt Katie.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated in Saint Patrick’s Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick, on Tuesday, December 30th at 10:00AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend.
Visiting hours will be held in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, Monday, December 29th 4 to 7:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Kathy’s memory to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Gynecologic Research Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02446.