Kathryn Horbal Traenkner

It was easy to tell if Kathryn liked you: if she did you’d be hit with a barrage of sarcastic comments. It was her playful goading and sense of humor that made her a pleasure to be around. She had lots of opinions and wasn’t shy about sharing them. When she left the house she was always dressed to the nines. From the days of her childhood she loved baseball, although she could only listen to it: watching games made her too nervous. “Do you have a pocket” she’d ask her great-grandson, Tyler, as she handed him a dollar bill folded in fours. In return Tyler would regail her with his day’s stories. She loved to clean: 2 a.m. was the perfect time to avoid sun streaks while doing the windows. In her spare time she loved to go to the casinos to try the slots and every Wednesday she could be found at the Mall. A steady diet of Hot Tea and candy made her a spitfire. She was never known for her patience: you could get to her requests at any time as long as it was right away. rnKathryn is survived by her daughter Barbara Shapiro, her brother, John, two grandchildren and 1 great-grandson.rnCome celebrate 87 fiesty years Tuesday from 8:30 to 9:30 at Sweeney Funeral Home, 337 Bridgeboro St., Riverside NJ. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 a.m. at St. Peter Church. Burial St Peter Cemetery. Kathryn hated flowers but loved pound puppies so please give generously to The Voorhees Animal Orphanage, P.O. Box 1363 Voorhees, NJ 08043. Tell us a great story about Kathryn at SweeneyFH.com.rnrnTo me she was “Gram.” Though I struggle to find words redeeming enough for such a circumstance, I think of what she would say, and that would be to “make due with what you’ve got.” Although I’ve got a heavy heart, it is one filled with many special things. I had been gifted with time. I had a lifetime to enjoy a Grandmother who lived near bye, and whom I was able to share many things with. Growing up I was able to learn to run quickly from the wooden paddle she kept atop her fridge. I was also able to learn to write and spell in pre-school, because I had Gram, whose favorite game was “Word Game.” She loved to teach me things, and to watch me learn. rn As I got older, I came to realize I was just like her in so many ways, perhaps just a bit taller. We shared many lovely traits such as our sarcasm, impatience, and dissatisfaction with things we feel aren’t up to par. One in the same with a 50+ year age gap. rn Of all the amazing experiences I was able to share with Gram, becoming a Great Grandmother took the cake. I was able to share with her an amazing little boy whom she adored until her very last day. I was also able to be certain that she new how much we loved her. rn “Two peas in a pod,” we would always say to each other. Although my pod is now feeling empty in so many ways, I am so lucky to be able to have said it was truly full for a lifetime…………I will so deeply miss my Gram, but I will always treasure the bond that we have. I was able to be with her until her very last moment, and she will stay with me, as she is so much of who I am. rnWith much love,rnJenniferrnrnrnrnrn