Catherine Ann Van Horn

Catherine was born at home in ?Hell?s Kitchen?, NYC on November 23, 1918, the older of fraternal twins: Catherine and Agnes Finnie. Her parents, Catherine Wilson Finnie and Alexander Finnie moved to the U.S. from Glasgow, Scotland. She had one brother, Alex, who was ten years her senior. Her father and brother built a house on Bayfield St., in Far Rockaway. This was the home Catherine loved, and that gave her a life-long love of the water and the ocean. Both Agnes and Catherine Kaye became strong and competitive swimmers in Far Rockaway. She often recalled her dad and his boat, and happy times when many of her cousins would come to swim, fish, eat big family dinners her mother whipped up and to be part of her family.

Kaye married Howard Van Horn in December of 52, in Newburgh, N.Y. They moved to W. Virginia for Howard?s engineering work with RCA, and their daughter, Teresa Terry, was born there Aug. 23, 1953. They came back to Newburgh for Kaye?s twin sister?s wedding in September, and Howard was killed in a car accident. Howard?s death was devastating for Kaye, but with the help of family, she pulled through.

Kaye moved back to Newburgh with her mother, and within two years bought a house in nearby Cornwall on the Hudson. Kaye loved owning her own home, the town of Cornwall, and always keeping a good and fast car. She worked in accounting in the US Civil Service at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, N.Y. for many years. After that she worked at West Point Military Academy in the Cadet Bank.

Within two years, starting in 1967, Kaye?s sister, then mother, and finally her brother died. This was a difficult time but Kaye always stayed very close to remaining family. At present remaining family includes her brother?s son Kennie, and sister?s daughter, Kathleen and also her cousin mother?s sister?s daughter Margaret, or Margie. All of these relatives live in New York State.

Kaye moved to Seattle 18 years ago to be near her daughter and family. She leaves behind two grandchildren. Alexis who is 19, and Tommy who is 17. Tommy and Alex have spent so much time with their Grandma Kaye that they will find her in most of their childhood memories, I believe. Grandma Kaye was part of our holidays; stay at home and play-a-game days; outings to the zoo, the aquarium, Seattle Center, Golden Gardens beach, Mount Rainier; chess trips to Texas, Oregon and Florida; and summer trips to New York, Cape Cod, Vermont and elsewhere.