Obituary of Kathleen Wrieden

Kathleen Wrieden (Née Murphy), of Madison, New Jersey formerly of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and The Fordham section of the Bronx died peacefully at her home, on Friday, May 15, 2020 surrounded by love and fortified by the Sacraments of the Church. She was 86.

Kathleen was born on April 21, 1934 in the Bronx, to the late Michael and Nora (Née O’ Mahoney) Murphy of County Kerry, Ireland. She was raised in the Bronx and attended Saint Simon Stock Church, grammar school, and high school where she was taught by the Carmelite Fathers and the Sisters of Mercy. Kathy ascribed much of her success and happiness to her Catholic education and ensured that her children received the same privilege. 

Kathy lived in the Bronx until her marriage to her husband, the late Herman Wrieden, on November 29, 1963. The couple settled in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where they raised their family in a wonderful, rambling house with a spacious and much loved yard and garden across the street from her husband’s pharmacy and Our Lady of Angel’s parish church and school. 

Kathleen was a talented and and creative seamstress, having learned to sew at the age of 10. She custom created a multitude of beautiful garments including her wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, men’s and ladies’ suits, as well as clothing and toys for her children. She held varied jobs at different points of her life working as a shop attendant and model as well as a secretary for the  Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, in New York City, serving as an editor for the New England Journal of Medicine, and was the office administrator of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church in Brooklyn. Above all, Kathleen’s devotion was to her beloved family, who she cherished deeply. Her favorite job was being a Mommy and later being a Nana. She was very proud of all her children. 

Kathleen was described as a fiercely independent woman, proud of her Irish heritage and enamoured with boundless interests. She was very artistic, loved flea markets and antique shows   and was a voracious and critical reader. She enjoyed watercolor painting and wood working, and made many pieces of her own furniture. In 2007 Kathy relocated to Madison where she purchased an old house, happily renovating and decorating it. Her home was comfortably but elegantly furnished and her gardens were resplendent with flowers. She loved to watch children run and leap and play. She was a woman of tremendous faith, a daily communicant who loved the rosary, and a parishioner of St. Vincent Martyr RC Church, Madison NJ and St. Thomas More RC Church, Convent Station.

In addition to her parents, Kathy was predeceased by her beloved husband, Herman Wrieden on June 22, 1990; her brothers, Edmund Murphy and the Reverend Brian (Née Thomas) Murphy, O’Carm. ; as well as her son-in-law, John Horan. She is survived by her sons, Dan Wrieden and Jeffrey Agnew of Jersey City and Michael Wrieden (Kerry) of Garden City, Long Island; her daughters, Kathleen Horan of White Plains NY and Mary Keane (Michael) of Florham Park NJ; six cherished grandchildren; and her beloved beagle, Oscar.

Due to the current pandemic, services for Kathleen are being held privately for the family and are under the direction of Madison Memorial Home. Interment will be held privately at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that Masses be offered for the repose of her soul. Charitable contributions may also be made in Kathleen’s Murphy Wrieden’s name to St. Simon Stock School at  2195 Valentine Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457  www.stsimonstockschool.org/donate.