Kathleen Zuback Obituary

Kathleen H. Zuback, a retired banker, Hunterdon County resident since 1966, a community volunteer since childhood,mother of four, grandmother of an additional four, and great-grandmother of four wee ones died peacefully at the age of 91. If Kathleen had a headstone, it would display her lifetime spanning "August 21, 1934 – October 11, 2025." This is what she did with her dash, "–".
Kathleen was born on August 21, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jessie Jamieson (Blair) McCaw and George Skeoch McCaw. She graduated from Frankford High School and later graduated from Rutgers University (1990) with honors and a degree in Economics. Kathleen married Harry James Hadfield in 1955, with whom she had four children, and becamea stay-at-home mom while her children were growing up. Her motto was "Life is an Adventure!" While raising her four children in Tewksbury, NJ, she made every activity with them an adventure. From going on walks around the block (four miles long) to picking blackberries and raspberries to add to their morning cereal or a pie to playing in the local creek finding salamanders to picnic lunches and story time under the trees to fun times sledding in the snow and building forts and to all their wonderful summer vacations at the Jersey shore. Kathleen was also very active in her children's elementary school Parent Teacher Association where she served as President and was the leader in finding many amazing assembly programs. In 1973, she began a long career in banking, first as a teller, then as aloan officer at Peapack Gladstone Bank. Following this, she served as a branch manager at First National Bank in Clinton and later with NatWest in Flemington. While working at NatWest, Kathleen became an Instructor at the American Institute of Banking, teaching evening classes. In 1994 she joined United National Bank where she finished her banking career there as branch manager of their Annandale branch, retiring in 1996. While working during the day, Kathleen earned an undergraduate degree in Economics the hard and long way, over ten years of evening classes at Rutgers University beginning in 1980. She proudly graduated with honors.
In 1991, she married John Zuback with whom she shared a love of traveling and adventures. Over their 34 years of marriage, they have traveled to all seven continents, visiting places such as Italy, Venice, France, England, Scotland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Russia, China, India, Iceland, Egypt, Tanzania, Australia, and Thailand. Each trip proved to be a true adventure where they learned of local customs, experienced the local cuisine, and met many extraordinary people, some of whom became great friends with whom they kept in contact. They also enjoyed cruising,with their favorite being the Queen Mary 2. Their last cruise took them on an amazing adventure down the coast of South America to their seventh continent, Antarctica.
While working through her banking career and after retiring, Kathleen continued volunteering within her community. In 1992, she became the first female Lion in the Flemington Lions Club. Kathleen was an active member for close to 30 years,and served as secretary and president of the club. Kathleen also was a runner for Meals on Wheels for 23 years, taking much needed meals to many the elderly homebound in Clinton and Annandale. Beginning in 1989, Kathleen served ten years on the board of Anderson House, helping to get this first New Jersey residential home for women needing treatments for addictions established. Throughout her working years, Kathleen was also an active member of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce.
During retirement, from 2001 through 2008, Kathleen served as a legal guardian through the Volunteer Guardianship One-on-One program in Flemington, NJ for a local businesswoman and former member of Naval WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). In this program, Kathleen helped her relocate to independent living, created a plan forgetting bills paid, set up at-home assistance and food shopping, developed a daily routine for her, and arranged for Companion Care to be provided at her apartment. Kathleen found this venture to be one of the most rewarding and valued her time as a guardian.
As a result of all her volunteer work, in 2005 she was recognized as United Way Volunteer of the Year.
Kathleen is survived by her husband, John, children StevenHadfield (Laura), Janet Parziale (Tom), Kathe Storholt (Jim), and Sandy Hadfield. She was known as "Noonie" to her four grandchildren Christina DiBartolo (Bill), David Parziale(Brooke), Walter Storholt (Connie), and Joseph Touris, and four great-grandchildren, Samantha and Tommy DiBartolo, and Eleanor and Benjamin Parziale. She will be greatly missed. Kathleen certainly lived life to the fullest. Her life was surely an adventure!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon, Inc., 5 Walter E. Foran Blvd., Suite 2006 Flemington, NJ 08822 or to American Cancer Society, PO Box 1640, Hagerstown, MD 21741.
To view a slideshow of Kathleen's life pictures, please click here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=phvAhbODXiM&pp=0gcJCR4Bo7VqN5tD
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Kathleen H. Zuback, please visit our floral store.