Catherine was born on September 6, 1929, to Grace (Connolly) and James B. Pert in Mount Vernon, New York. She grew up in Bronxville, New York and attended Saint Gabriel High School in New Rochelle, graduating in 1947. Catherine attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods college in Indiana for one year, which she loved, before transferring to the State University of New York – Buffalo. She graduated from Buffalo State with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education in 1954.
Catherine taught elementary education for over 20 years on Long Island. While she substituted and taught in several school districts, her longest tenure was in the Middle Island School District. She taught at Charles E. Walter and other elementary schools. She loved her students and often told stories of them her entire life. It warmed her heart to think of the number of children she taught to read. Catherine was a lover of books, nature, birds, traveling, and poetry. She was also an avid painter.
Catherine was a loving mother who took her four children on adventurous vacations throughout the northeast including her favorite locations of Long Island beaches and the Catskill and Adirondack mountains in upstate New York.
Predeceased by her parents and her sister, Mary Ellen Leyva, Catherine’s memory is honored by her children: Kathleen McGrath (husband Martin), Brian Foley (wife Jan), Terry Foley (wife Veronica), Daniel Foley (wife Susan), and her grandchildren, Brendan, Ryan, Michelle, Mark, and Daniela.
Per Catherine’s wishes, her immediate family will gather for a brief service at St. Patrick’s cemetery in Smithtown, New York.
In Catherine’s memory, please consider a donation to NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness), an organization which was close to Catherine’s heart.
