Cathy is a dynamic woman that is often on the go. She was born in Boston on October 24th, 1931 as one of six siblings, including 5 brothers. Her mother and father were hard working and kind people. Cathy was especially close to her father, who was a fireman. Every chance she got from the time she was six years old, Cathy would bring lunch and dinner to her dad at work. She recalled with excitement, afternoons spent crossing a couple of key intersections with food in hand, eager to say hi to her dad. He would always greet her warmly and often carried candy in his pocket. Cathy would sit with him for a while and he’d say “you know, I think it may be time for some candy, what do you think?”

After finishing grade school, Cathy attended secretarial school at Boston College. Through word of mouth, she met her husband, Cliff. Cathy shared, “It was one of those things, you know? Where one fellow tells another fellow and one mom tells another one, ‘well, that gal is a nice one.’” Cliff agreed that Cathy was a nice gal and they soon married and had five children of their own—4 girls and 1 boy, including 1 set of twins.

The Cary family had the opportunity to live in several states and locations over the years, as Cliff was in the Navy. They lived in Boston, Maine and even Japan for three years. While living in Japan, Cathy helped to open the first childcare center on base and taught English to Japanese speaking children. She shared that she loved working near her husband, expressing, “Oh he always had good ideas!” He was an instructor for machinery and was great with science and math. Cathy explained that between her experience in teaching English and his love for mathematics and science, the children were always expected to complete their homework and do well in school. She loved that her family was able to have the chance to live in Japan together and saw the center as an opportunity to introduce exciting new programs to the community. At the same time, she and Cliff valued the ideas and culture that they learned about as well.

After three wonderful years, the Cary family moved back to the United States and lived in California. Cathy spent time teaching defensive driving classes for older adults, as well as conducting traffic school for individuals who received speeding and other tickets. She later worked as an administrative secretary at Edgemoor and retired to spend over twenty years volunteering with the Red Cross. In her free time, Cathy enjoyed bowling, having barbeques, spending time with kids and playing card games. Cathy is such a wonderfully lighthearted, vibrant person. Her enthusiasm for life and determination is still clear as she walks through our community, leaving smiles in every room she enters. We admire Cathy and hope to emulate her kind and gracious heart.