Katherine Olstein

Katherine Olstein (née Bruder), an accomplished scholar and loving mother and grandmother, died peacefully on Feb. 7 in her home in Highland Park, N.J. She was 80 years old.

Quiet and thoughtful, Katherine was a lover of Greek and Latin literature, rock 'n roll music, gardening, and Dunkin' Donuts coffee. But her talents extended far beyond what even her family knew she was capable of — until she did it. Though never willing to tout her abilities or brag about any of her myriad professional triumphs, she was at various times a Latin instructor, a computer engineer, and an editor of magazines and books. Over four decades, she honed a command of everything from Virgil's "Aeneid" to the Y2K bug.

Katherine never stopped learning, never stopped listening to the world around her. She was a lover of history and language. Her greatest joy, other than her beloved children and grandchildren, was music — a passion handed down by her parents, and that she naturally passed along to her children. She was a fantastic dancer, especially when no one was watching, and a lifelong student of song. With her finely tuned ear, she became a cherished member of the choir at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, a community that always embraced her, and in which she felt a true sense of purpose and friendship.

Katherine is survived by her sons Matthew and Efrem, her daughter Hannah, her children-in-law Katie, Eve and Kyle, her grandchildren June and Allison, and her brother Perry.