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A Whiz in the Kitchen

Krystine Bordenabe was on the brink of an exciting life change she'd been waiting for since she had become a mother for the first time 13 years ago: she was eight months pregnant with her second child, and was counting the weeks until she could resign from her job as a sales assistant at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and become a stay-at-home mom and full-time homemaker. That was, for her, the noblest profession, and one she felt compelled to excel at. She was a whiz in the kitchen, loved to cook and bake, and while she was not much of a clothes hound, she occasionally indulged her passion for stylish shoes.

''She loved her shoes,'' said her sister-in-law, Danielle Bordenabe. ''But mostly she just cared about other people, about helping out; she was my best friend.'' A Jersey City girl, Krystine also enjoyed taking trips to the shore each summer with her extended family. She was 33, and lived in Old Bridge, N.J., with her husband, Alfredo, and son Andrew.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 21, 2001.

Krystine Bordenabe, devoted mom met her match at a soccer game

Alfredo Bordenabe had been a doting husband to his eight-months pregnant wife, Krystine.

"I checked her every move," he said, noting the couple had celebrated their first anniversary in August.

On his way to work on Sept. 11, he heard a radio report that a plane hit One World Trade Center. He phoned his 33-year-old wife in her office on the 89th floor of the South Tower.

"She said she was all right. She said, 'They're telling us to stay in the building,' " Mr. Bordenabe said. He hung up and minutes later heard that a second plane hit her tower. "At least I got to talk to her," Bordenabe said yesterday.

Before their marriage, Krystine had been a single mom raising Andrew Godsil, who turns 14 today. "Her main objective was to take care of Andrew. She did a great job," Mr. Bordenabe said.

Mrs. Bordenabe attended Chubb Institute in Jersey City and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She worked for investment firms in New York and New Jersey before becoming a sales assistant at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in the World Trade Center several years ago.

Alfredo and Krystine grew up in Jersey City, and even dated several times as teenagers, though they went to different high schools. She went to Academy High and he to Dickerson.

Mrs. Bordenabe -- then Krystine Godsil -- was a star on her high school girl's softball and basketball teams, and received the school's Kevin Stawicki Award as an outstanding athlete, said her sister, Tracy Torres. "She won the highest award."

Alfredo Bordenabe said he and Krystine did not keep in touch after high school. A few years ago, she accompanied a friend to a men's soccer game. Alfredo Bordenabe was playing and they renewed their friendship.

Mrs. Bordenabe lived in Clifton before she and her husband moved to Old Bridge last year, Torres said.

"I was so glad she moved closer," said Torres, who lives nearby in the Morganville section of Marlboro.

Mrs. Bordenabe told her family she planned to stay at her job at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods through part of October before starting maternity leave. She was considering staying at home after she had the baby, her husband said.

After the World Trade Center tragedy, Mr. Bordenabe said he spent much of the last two weeks with his stepson, Andrew. "I guess that's something good to come out of this," he said.

A memorial service for Mrs. Bordenabe will be held at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church, 100 N. Main St., Marlboro, at 10:30 a.m.

Mrs. Bordenabe also is survived by her parents, Jean and William Godsil; two brothers, Peter and Billy; a stepbrother, Robert Godsil; and another sister, Carolann; and her paternal grandmother, Viola Godsil.

Donations can be made to the Krystine Bordenabe Family Memorial Fund, c/o Linda Telesco of Stark, Amron, Liner & Narotsky, LLP, 7 Penn Plaza, Suite 600, New York, N.Y. 10001.

Profile by Tom Haydon published in THE STAR-LEDGER.