Catherine Joan Vance

Catherine Joan "Kay" Frangiosa Quinton Vance died on August 31, 2026. She was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, on October 26, 1933, to Salvatore and Angiolina Frangiosa. She was the eldest of six children. She was predeceased by her parents; her sister, Lucy Leate; and her brothers, Angelo and Joseph Frangiosa, her husband Petterson Vance and her three stepdaughters; Debra Prendergast, Kathy Vance and Beth Cutler, her son-in-law Richard Reingold and her granddaughter Hannah.

She was previously married to Russell Quinton (deceased), the father of her five children, and to Petterson Vance (deceased), the father of her five stepchildren.

She is survived by her sister, Mary Frangiosa Creesy, and her brother, Michael Frangiosa.

She is also survived by her five children: Deborah Reingold, Carlton Quinton (Alice), Angela Lancia (Joe), Patricia Whitaker (F. Robert), and David Quinton (Susan), as well as two stepchildren: Cynthia LeDuc and Douglas Vance. She had 12 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. She also had seven step-grandchildren and 12 step-great-grandchildren.

Catherine grew up in Norwood, Massachusetts. She attended the Christian Church of Norwood, later known as Living Waters Church. She attended Norwood High School, Lexington Christian Academy, and the Secretarial School for Women (Katharine Gibbs), Boston Campus.

In the summer of 1956, she met Russell Quinton, who was serving in the United States Air Force, and that December they were married. She began the life of a military spouse and served as a government civilian in the Pentagon as part of the Special Weapons War Plans Department, AFXPD, during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. She served as a secretary for the United States Air Force under President John F. Kennedy from 1959 through 1963.

After graduating from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health School of Nursing, she began a new career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Choate Memorial Hospital, Metropolitan State Hospital and later worked for the Veterans Administration and several local nursing homes.

Catherine was a member of Lynnwood United Methodist Church in Lancaster, SC. She was a loving and caring person who was always reaching out to serve those in need in her community. She partnered with Covenant Baptist Church and created the Care and Share Ministry in Lancaster, SC. It was there that she was ordained as the first woman deacon in Covenant Baptist Church.

In Bremerton, WA, she started a dinner and Bible study for members of rival gangs. After returning to South Carolina, she started a church ministry for the differently abled at Belair United Methodist Church. She also attended New Horizons Community Church, hosted a small life group, and taught Sunday School before joining Lynnwood UMC.

Catherine was a wonderful hostess who loved to cook for everyone. Her door was always open, and she was happy to break bread with all. She was also very generous and would give away her gifts and belongings to others in need.

In her younger days, she played the violin, piano, and accordion. She also sang in her church choir. She loved to go on trips and cruises. She was a member of Eastern Star and Rebekahs.

As the matriarch of the family, she will be remembered as a good and faithful servant, a creative, caring, and loving mother, a wonderful grandmother and great-grandmother, and a loving, caring, and sharing friend to all she met.

A Graveside Service will be held at Highland Cemetery, 320 Winter Street, NORWOOD on Saturday September 26, 2026 at 11:30 AM. Please arrive at the main entrance to the cemetery by 11:15 AM. Following the Graveside Service, all are invited join the family as they gather for a luncheon at Waters Church, 668 Walpole Street, Norwood at 12 noon. Arrangements are in the care of Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole Street, Norwood.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Kay's memory to any or all of the following:

Lancaster County Council on Aging, PO Box 1296, Lancaster, SC 29721

(https://www.lancastercoa.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1)

Lancaster County, South Carolina, Animal Shelter, 2074 Pageland Highway

Lancaster, SC 29720

(https://www.lancastercountysc.gov/170/Animal-Shelter)

Lancaster SPCA of South Carolina, PO Box 3042, Lancaster, SC 29721.

(https://lancasterspca.kindful.com/?campaign=1277531)