Obituary of Colleen Elizabeth Bugdal

Colleen Elizabeth Bugdal, 36, left this life on Tuesday July 9, 2024 after a valiant and nearly two year struggle with metastatic breast cancer.  A resident of Palm Beach Shores, Florida, Colleen had entered the Charles Gerstenberg Hospice Center in West Palm Beach a week prior to her passing.

Born in Neptune, NJ, Colleen was raised in Hamilton Township and graduated from Nottingham High School in 2006.  While living in Hamilton, Colleen honed her soccer skills, developed her artistic talents, and began a life-long liking for chicken cheese steaks.  Colleen unfortunately also dealt with emotional struggles and an opiate addiction that resulted in her moving to Florida in 2011 to seek treatment and regain her sobriety.

While in Florida, Colleen worked as a waitress and barista while she studied at and earned a degree from Palm Beach State College.  She then used her knowledge, talents and life experiences working various roles in substance treatment centers in south Florida

Colleen was the granddaughter of the late Joseph and Ruth Toomey and John and Viola Bugdal.  She was predeceased by her mother, Ann, and her siblings Sarah Ann and J. Christopher.  She is survived by her family - father, Donald, brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Victoria, nieces Eleanora and Alessia, and her aunt, uncles and cousins.  Colleen was blessed with many friends during her life and she especially cherished the bonds she had with her closest buds Jenn, Marisa, Rachel, Mysha, Holynn and Sammy.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday September 13th at 11 a.m. at The Church of Saint Ann, 1253 Lawrence Road in Lawrenceville.  A tribute to Colleen’s life will begin 15 minutes before Mass.  Friends and family are invited to call at the church starting at 10 a.m.

Colleen would like everyone to feel free to dress casually and to make contributions to either of the following organizations in lieu of flowers:

Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League at peggyadams.org - 3200 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33409 or

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens at morikami.org, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446