Catherine Elizabeth Casabianca

On October 28, 1943, Catherine Elizabeth Matassa was born in New York City, New York, to Salvatore and Catherine. She was a smart, beautiful baby, the firstborn in the family. When she was five years old Catherine contracted polio. She endured many surgeries over the years but overcame her disability and learned to walk again.

After attending high school at St. Michael’s, Cathy took secretarial courses at Queens Community College. On July 28, 1968, she married the love of her life and soul mate, Frank Casabianca. They had three children, Dina, Frank Jr., and Michele, and decided to move to Florida to escape life in the big city.

While the kids were young Cathy was involved with Palm Bay Youth Softball Association, assorted PTOs, Palm Bay Soccer Association, and Boy and Girl Scouts. She was always very involved with the kids and attended every game and performance.

As the kids got older Catherine was able to pursue her own interests – Facebook, making jewelry, doing crafts, playing bunco, painting, going to garage sales, reading, and joining a Wii bowling league. And of course, her favorite pastime, CRUISING! She never met a stranger and was very active and involved in the community. Cathy volunteered for many organizations, including SHINE, Harris Retirees, Post-Polio Support Group, Greater Palm Bay Senior Citizen Center, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where she was a member for more than 25 years.

Cathy is already greatly missed by her husband of forty-six years, Frank Casabianca; daughter Dina Casabianca and her husband, Herb Fogg, of Palm Bay, FL; her son, Frank Casabianca, Jr. and his wife, Tracy, of Denver, CO; her daughter, Michele Staffieri, and her husband, Butch, of Tallahassee, FL; her sister, Eileen Moraglia and her family, of Queens, NY, and her brother-in-law, Ronald Casabianca, of Queens, NY, who considered her a sister and friend. Catherine has six grandchildren, Frank, Bianca, Frank III (Trey), Dominic, Jonas, and Kit, who will dearly miss Grandma’s hugs and Skype sessions.

Please join us as we say “Bon Voyage” to Cathy and celebrate her life on Thursday, December 18 from 6:00 – 8:00 at Fountainhead Funeral Home in Palm Bay. We’re going to do this the way she’d want and eat dessert first! We’ll start with a small, light reception at 6:00, with the memorial service starting around 7:00. We’d also appreciate it if you’d leave comments for us on this web site. They’re going to be turned into a book, along with the pictures, to help us remember Cathy as she’d want to be remembered – active, involved, and friend to all.