Kathlyn Louise (Lischke) Gurney

With love and gratitude for a life beautifully lived, the family of Kathlyn L. Gurney (née Lischke) announces her passing at the age of 91. She was born on October 18, 1934, in Jersey City, New Jersey, grew up in Paramus and spent her later years in Mahwah, New Jersey, surrounded by the family she loved so deeply.

She was the beloved wife of the late Russell W. Gurney, with whom she shared a lifetime of devotion and partnership. Together they built a family that was the center of her world.

She was a proud and loving mother to Russell Gurney, Bryan and Patricia Gurney, Kathlyn Gurney, and Pamela and Larry Collins. Nothing brought her greater joy than her growing family, which included nine cherished grandchildren and fifteen adored great-grandchildren, each of whom held a special place in her heart.

She was the daughter of the late Gertrude and Harold Lischke. She was predeceased by her sister Trudy Hirsch, and is survived by her sister Gail Eaton of Georgia, with whom she shared a lifelong bond.

A graduate of Hackensack High School and the Ho-Ho-Kus School of Secretarial Science, she began her professional life as a secretary and later worked for Hanneke Displays in Mahwah. Above all, however, she was devoted to her role as a homemaker, dedicating her life to ensuring that her family was cared for, supported, and loved in every possible way.

Known for her kind heart, quick wit, and wonderful sense of humor, she had a way of making everyone feel welcome and cared for. She was deeply devoted to her family and was always intensely focused on making sure those she loved were taken care of. Her warmth, laughter, and steady presence were a gift to everyone who knew her.

A woman of Lutheran faith, she lived her life guided by compassion and devotion. Her family will always remember the phrases she often shared with them, especially her simple but heartfelt reminders:
“Life ain’t easy” and “Love you BIG time.”

Her legacy lives on in the large and loving family she helped build, and in the countless memories they will cherish forever.

Family and friends are invited to pay their respects on March 24, 2026, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey, New Jersey.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in her memory to BASS Shelter Pets, a charity dear to Kathlyn’s heart:
www.BASSshelterpets.org or mail to Bass, P.O. Box 24, Bloomingdale, NJ 07403

She will be deeply missed, forever loved, and always remembered.

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