Plan for the Future
Catherine L. Silver, owner of Silverland Nursery School, dies at 89.
Catherine L. Silver of Parsippany, NJ, made her final transition on Tuesday, April 10th. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her family.
She was born in Minooka, (now Scranton), Pennsylvania on February 2, 1923 to Jane and C. Joseph Lonsdorf. Cathy was well-known as the owner of Silverland Nursery School and Day Care Center in Montville, NJ. She also received her Bachelor of Arts from The Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and worked on and off as a commercial artist before and during the time she raised 5 children.
In 1965 she founded and operated Silverland Nursery School, which also housed a Cultural Center that offered dance and art to students in the early 1970’s. She retired in 2000, and at her 80th birthday celebration in 2003, Cathy received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with hundreds of children and their families.
Cathy was a devoted member of St Ann’s RC Church in Parsippany and served as a Eucharistic Minister for many years, bringing Holy Communion to shut ins and people in nursing homes.
She loved music, sang and played the piano, and was a songwriter as well. She created many original songs that were used in her school, particularly for the last day when parents came to enjoy their children graduating and/or moving up to the next year in class. She will be remembered by hundreds of children as Mrs. Silver, a loving and caring figure in their lives.
Pre-deceased by her husband Arthur, Cathy was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt. She is survived by five children and three sons-in-law; Christine and Argelino Garcia, Dr. Catherine Silver-Riddell and Roland Riddell, Elaine Silver and James Alexander, Dr. Arthur W. Silver, Jr., and Dr. Gretchen Silver. She is also survived by her brother Paul Lonsdorf, and four grandchildren; Amanda Garcia, Christian and Elizabeth Riddell and Angelica Silver, as well as dozens of nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.