Elizabeth Galvin Bender passed away on March 24, 2024. She was born in Jersey City, NJ, and resided in the Cherry Hill, NJ area for more than 50 years. She was born on January 8, 1940 in Jersey City to the late Cyril Jerome and Veronica Teresa (nee Lawlor) Galvin. Elizabeth graduated from St. Michael’s High School, Jersey City, in 1957, received a BA from MIsericordia College in Pennsylvania in 1961, a Masters in Education and a Bachelors in the Science of Nursing from Rutgers University.
She also took courses at the Sorbonne, University Paris. Leaving college, she taught at St. Catherine’s School in Spring Lake, NJ, and in College Park, MD. In 1963, she hopped a 17 hour propeller plane flight toEurope to become a primary school teacher for children of US military families stationed in Germany and in England. When she returned to the US, she taught French and English at Burlington Township High School until her retirement. She also had a second career as a registered nurse.
She is predeceased by her husband, Aaron Bender; her parents, Cyril Jerome and Veronica Galvin; her brothers, Cyril Jerome Jr., Dennis, and John; and her sisters, Barbara G. Shannon and Mary Jane Galvin.
She is survived by her sisters and their spouses: Alice and Patrick Kenny, Patricia and Douglas Johnson, and Veronica and James Lindemon; her brother Thomas Galvin and his wife Ann, and by many nieces and nephews.
Elizabeth was a kind and gentle person, loved by all who knew her. She held a lifelong appreciation of foreign travel, French language and culture, reading and audiobooks, bird and nature watching, and the company of her small dogs. She was an altruistic member of her community and a devout worshipper at her church. She was a calm, thoughtful, and deeply caring sister, mother, grandmother and friend. She is survived by her daughter, Karen, and her stepsons and their families: Lawrence and his son Misha; Craig, his daughter Briana, and his wife Kelly Kynion; Robert, his wife Christina Bothwell and their children, Sophia, Ellis and Violet.
Please join us in celebrating Elizabeth’s life. Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 4th from 5-7pm at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, April 5th at 10 am at Church of the Precious Blood, 72 Riverdale Ave, Monmouth Beach, NJ 07750. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 340 Ridge Rd, North Arlington, NJ 07031. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Elizabeth’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association of America or to the ASPCA.
