Bernice Sinning

Sinning, Bernice (nee Recchione), age 82 of Hawthorne, passed away on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Born in Paterson, Bernice spent most of her life in Hawthorne, a community she loved deeply. She graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1961 and went on to attend nursing school, beginning a lifelong career dedicated to caring for others. Bernice started her nursing career at Christian Sanitarium in Wyckoff, later stepping away to raise her family. She returned to her profession as a visiting nurse concluding her career at Oakland Care Center.
Bernice was married to her beloved husband, Garret Sinning, for more than 50 years before his passing in 2019. Together they built a life centered on family, service, and community.
She was the loving mother of her sons Joseph and his wife Debra of Niantic, CT and David and his wife Lisa of New Providence, NJ. She was the devoted grandmother of grandsons Matthew, Jason, and Stephen. She is survived by her sister Marie Lyttle and her husband Jim of Somerset and her niece Jane Richter and her husband Mark. She is also survived by her cherished dog, Gunner, and was known throughout her life for the deep affection she had for the many dogs she loved and cared for over the years.
Bernice was active on the Hawthorne political scene along with her late husband Garret as a member of the Hawthorne Republican Club and the Hawthorne Regular Republican Organization. Bernice served on the Passaic County level as a member of the County Committee. She had sat on the Hawthorne Board of Health and was a member of the Shade Tree Committee.
Friends and family are invited to pay their respects on Monday, December 22, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Browning-Forshay Funeral Home, 557 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne.
A funeral service to celebrate Bernice's life will be held at 10:30 am on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at the funeral home. Entombment will follow at the George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to honor Bernice through a contribution to the Hawthorne Volunteer Ambulance Corps or to the Hawthorne PBA.