Kathleen Joyce Anderson, a 1984 graduate of Livingston High School, died on April 22 at her home in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The daughter of Walter and Dorothy Joyce of Livingston, Kathy was a standout Lancer athlete, who was later inducted into the Big L Hall of Fame. She was 54.
Kathy was married to John Anderson for the past 30 years, and they raised their four children in Livingston and Avon-by-the-Sea, before recently moving to Asbury Park. She is survived by her husband and children, John and his wife Michaella of Fairbanks, Alaska; daughter Kaitlyn of Boston; Sean, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and Ryan, a student at Stockton State College. She found special joy and pride in watching their exploits in lacrosse, field hockey, bowling and baseball and successes in college and careers.
Born October 24, 1966, Kathy was among the first girls in town allowed to play Little League baseball. She was the female Athlete of the Year at Livingston High School in 1984, leading teams in field hockey, basketball and softball. She was honored by the Big L Club in 2005 and her photo is included among Livingston’s top athletes in the high school’s Fitness and Wellness Center.
Kathy loved life along the shore. She took beautiful photographs of sunrises glinting light off the water. She delighted in catching glimpses of pods of dolphins leaping past the shorebreaks. She loved seeing Jimmy Buffet and Bruce Springsteen in concert. She basked in summer evenings walking on the boardwalk, with music drifting in from the Stone Pony’s outdoor stage. She smiled when her husband hooked a stripped bass in the surf.
Kathy was generous, always finding thoughtful gifts. She sparkled with an infectious laugh, and was quick to flash a twinkling smile for friends and family. She took special care of her grandmother, the late Eleanore Wysocki, and her in-laws, the late Carl and Pat Anderson.
She worked many years at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark as a court clerk.
In addition to her parents and family, Kathy is survived by her sisters, Marilyn Joyce Lehren of South Orange, New Jersey; Mary Ellen Stewart of Bozeman, Montana; and Jeanne Joyce Silberman of Livingston, New Jersey; her brothers-in-laws, Andrew Lehren, George Stewart, David Silberman, and Carl R. Anderson; a sister-in-law Patricia Anderso
Contributions in her honor may be made to The Big L Club, P.O. Box 284, Livingston, NJ 07039. Services will be private.
