Obituary of Katherine Wilberding

Katherine Van Cortlandt Wilberding died at Northern Westchester Hospital on August 22, 2013 at the age of 94. A life long resident of the Bedford/Mt.Kisco area, she is the last person to carry the name Van Cortlandt, one of the early Dutch patroon families of New York. Van Cortlandt Park in New York City was given to the city in lieu of taxes by the family at the turn of the Nineteenth Century. Following education at St. Timothy's School, Stevenson, MD she attended courses at the Art Students' League in New York City. She was married for 60 years to Joseph C Wilberding, an insurance executive and Executive Director of the Medical Information Bureau, until his death in 2000. She was a full-time housewife and mother, but also active in civic organizations and tennis. A life-long parishioner of St. Mark's Church, Mt.Kisco, she was a member of the Vestry for many years. She was the first female Senior Warden in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. She played tennis at the Bedford Golf and Tennis Club, and, in the winter, at the Chestnut Ridge Racquet Club. She is survived by her four children Katherine Garcia of Dalton, MA., Stephen Van Cortlandt Wilberding of Nokomis, FL., Joan Hirte of Darmstadt, Germany, and Augusta Laidlaw of McCall, ID, their spouses, ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mt. Kisco on Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 4PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mark's Church, Mt.Kisco, NY.