Catherine "Kitty" Galvin

Catherine “Kitty” Galvin (nee Hehir, formerly of County Clare, Ireland) passed away peacefully in her home in Woodside, NY, on Monday, September 20th, 2021 at age 100. Kitty died the same way she lived - surrounded by family and close friends. Kitty lived a full life, made up of pure love, a deep faith, true friendship, and simple joys. She found endless delight in visiting with friends, cooking, knitting, scratch offs, card games, cups of Irish tea, chatting on the phone, saying the rosary, baking her famous Irish soda bread, and helping others anyway she could. Kitty was one of the best of the generation of Irish women who immigrated to America in the pre-World War II era.

Kitty leaves behind a legacy of many generations of a loving family that she built. She is survived by her three daughters and sons-in-law Eileen & James (of County Clare, Ireland), Teresa & Chris (of Oakland, California), and Maureen & Danny (of Rockville Centre, NY); eight grandchildren Damian, Eilis, Ciaran, Ruairi, Mairin, Chris, Katie & Annie; and nine great-grandchildren Calum, Moya, Faye, Robyn, Sophie, Kathy, Jodie Mae, Zara Rose, and Tessa Catherine. Kitty is also survived by nieces and nephews, cousins, extended family, countless friends, and friends who became family. All of these people filled her life and home with the deepest joy, and her memory will live on with them.

Kitty Hehir was the youngest of 10 children born to Michael and Jane Hehir (McMahon.) She spent her early years on the family farm, where she was known for her love of animals and the countryside. Every day, she walked across the fields to attend a two-room schoolhouse in a neighboring parish. 85 years later, Kitty’s great-granddaughter would attend that same school in Kilnamona.

In 1940, Kitty immigrated to America, where she joined three older siblings. She worked for many years as an in-house cook and domestic worker for several families in Manhattan, and quickly became known for her dedication and character. Six years later, at a dance in Queens, she met Martin Galvin, a decorated World War II veteran and fellow immigrant from County Clare. They married in 1948 and settled in Astoria, where they raised three children, Eileen (Breen), Teresa (Lee) and Maureen Galvin. Martin passed away in 1977. Kitty built a full life for herself but would forever miss her soulmate, and looked forward to reuniting with him in heaven after 45 years. For the rest of her life, Martin’s WWII photo and badges hung proudly in her home.

Kitty loved America and became a proud US citizen after World War II. She was devoted to the large Irish-American community in Queens, and often sponsored new immigrants by bringing them into her home and under her wing.

Over her 100 years, Kitty built a large, extraordinary community of family and friends. Her home was always filled with visitors, the phone rang all day long, and she couldn’t walk down the street without stopping to chat with a neighbor. In recent years, Kitty’s home healthcare aides became a beautiful and essential part of her life, bringing her incredible care and companionship.

This year, Kitty was blessed to enjoy a beautiful 100th birthday, complete with live bagpipe music outside her apartment, greetings from Irish and American politicians, endless cards and phone calls from all over the world, and a livestream Mass said in her honor at her childhood parish in Ireland. She was proud to become an Irish centenarian.

Kitty’s family acknowledges the great blessing they were given by her longevity. She will be remembered for her unparalleled generosity and boundless love; her quick wit, joyful optimism, and playful humor; and her legendary dinner gatherings, at which her delicious rib roast and homemade Irish soda bread took center stage. She will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.

There will be a visitation for Kitty on Sunday, September 26th from 2-7pm at the Kennedy Ross Funeral Home in Woodside, and a Mass of Christian Burial on September 27th at St. Sebastian Church in Woodside at 10:45 AM. Kitty will be laid to rest at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale.

In keeping with Kitty's spirit of generosity and always helping those in need, in lieu of flowers, you may make a donation in Kitty's memory to Catholic Relief Services at: https://support.crs.org/donate/memorial