Doreen Scharf Van Horn passed away on December 30, 2022 at the age of 62 , from complications due to a long-fought battle with heart and kidney disease . She was born in Bridgeport on August 7, 1960, the eldest of 3 daughters born to the late Alberta Dzubin Scharf Luciano and Harry Scharf.

Doreen met her husband, Tom Van Horn, on a blind date in 1981 and enjoyed nearly 42 wonderful, loving years of marriage together. Doreen was hardworking, creative, intelligent, and a very special wife, mother and grandmother who devoted her life to her family. After graduating from Jonathan Law in Milford in 1978, she attended Gateway Community College to work on her associates degree. She then worked at Yale University and Quinnipiac University before obtaining employment at Hamden Public Schools, where she retired after working there for over 22 years.

Besides being predeceased by both her parents, she also mourned the passing of her in-laws, Kay and Burt Van Horn, her stepfather Bill Luciano, and her sister Dawn Marie Scharf. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Sarah (Richard) Catenza, and her three adoring grandchildren who were truly the greatest gifts and shining lights of her life; Julianna, Carissa, and Ryan Catenza, all of Hamden. Also left to mourn her passing are her sister Faye (David) Marklinsky of Hamden; sister-in-law, Linda (David) Marsh of Naugatuck; brother-in-law, William Van Horn of Winter Harbor, ME; stepmother, Nancy Scharf of Deland, FL; niece, Susan (Jay) DiVito of Waterbury and nephew, David (Andrea) Marsh of Oxford; and several grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. Doreen's family and friends are comforted in knowing that she is no longer in any pain and that she will now be reunited with her loved ones in heaven.

Funeral from BEECHER & BENNETT FUNERAL HOME, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden on Friday, January 6, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, followed by her burial in All Saints Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit with her family the evening prior from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.