Catherine Henderson

Catherine Henderson, affectionately known as Kitty to family and friends, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2026, at the age of seventy-six. A resident of Barnegat, New Jersey, she was born on December 11, 1949, in New York City, and is survived by her husband of fifty-five years, Gregory Rhedrick and children, Kasmore Rhedrick, Kebra Rhedrick and Kanya Rhedrick who were the center of her life.

Catherine was deeply devoted to reading and nature; pursuits she embraced as a means to connect with her community and to share knowledge close to home. Especially fond of the Pine Barrens, Catherine proudly completed the New Jersey State Parks 250 Miles Challenge, a testament to her love of the state’s natural landscapes and rich local heritage.

An avid reader, who often engaged with two or more books at the same time, Catherine belonged to the Asbury Book Cooperative and Tertulia, an online cooperative bookstore. She delighted in sharing books with friends and neighbors, lending them freely thus inspiring curiosity, conversation, and connection within her local community.

That same ardent inspiration supported Catherine’s advocacy for children’s literacy. After retiring from her career as a radiologic technologist in New York and New Jersey, she volunteered at the Saleem Abdullah Head Start Center in Barnegat, where she helped create a free lending library so that every child could take books home to read and share with their families. Catherine’sdefinitive objective was to encourage and motivate young children’s appreciation of all life’s possibilities, exploration ofnew adventures, and the joy of learning found within the pagesof books.

Catherine’s travels took her to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, but her greatest joys were found closer to home. She especially cherished New Jersey’s landmarks and traditions, including Cowtown Rodeo, Native American Pow Wows, the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey, local vineyards, Albert Music Hall; but more than anything else, her treasured hikes through the Pine Barrens.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Catherine’s memory to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, honoring where she spent many of her favorite days hiking and finding peace (https://engage.pinelandsalliance.org/tribute-gift). A memorial service will be held in April, in the Pine Barrens at Apple Pie Hill.

Catherine will be remembered for her warm smile, her attentiveness to young children, her love of learning, and her enthusiasm for new adventures. A devoted mother and loyal friend, she lived with a deep spiritual sensibility inspired by the prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Services are entrusted to Jersey Shore Cremation Service, 43 Taylor Avenue, Manasquan, NJ - JerseyShoreCremation.com