Catherine Eby Suppa

Catherine Eby Suppa, 95, passed away on October 22, 2020 at Regency House in San Angelo, Texas. Catherine, known as “Kay,” was born on August 11, 1925 in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. She was the only child of Charlotte and Jay Eby and was a distant relative of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Kay grew up in Elizabethville, graduating from Elizabethville High School on May 25, 1943. As a high school student, Kay served as second trombone in the school band and traveled frequently with the band to local and regional band competitions. Kay also studied piano and worked after school in a hotel restaurant and as a private babysitter to earn money for college. After high school, Kay attended Pennsylvania State University where she studied Health, Nutrition, and Bacteriology.

Kay met her future husband, Emil Robert Suppa, at a church dance in Philadelphia in 1944. At the time, Robert was serving in the US Navy as an aerial photographer. The couple married on October 14, 1944, at St. Peter’s Church, New York City. The two began their married life in Rhode Island where Robert was assigned to a US Navy carrier.

In 1945, shortly after the couple moved to New York City, Kay gave birth to a son. As a young mother, Kay worked from home as a jeweler’s assistant, setting diamonds in watches. After Robert separated from the Navy in 1946, the couple remained in New York City for six years before moving to Long Island, New York, where she lived for 25 years.

While living in Long Island, Kay was employed by the Middle Country Central School District as the school district’s head dietician and lunch director for 10 years. In this position, she was responsible for dietary services at five elementary schools. At the end of the school year, Kay would take the school cafeteria employees to the Roosevelt Field Racetrack and various Broadway shows to celebrate the end of the school year.

Robert and Kay moved to Anaheim, California, during the 1970s. While living in Anaheim, Kay worked as a receptionist for LensCrafters for four years. In 1981, the couple moved to San Angelo where Robert was employed by the Haystack Company, an apartment developer. During the 1980s, Kay held several jobs in San Angelo to include Zentner’s Daughter, Wendy’s Hamburgers, and First Christian Church. During the 1990s, Kay became a Senior Companion with the Concho Valley Area Agency on Aging. She concluded her career as a participant in the senior employment program, Green Thumb, where she spent several years as an assistant to the director of the Senior Companion Program. She retired from the Concho Valley Area Agency on Aging in 2001.

Kay lived at Christian Village, San Angelo, for 17 years before taking residence at Regency House in 2015. Her hobbies included sewing, flower arranging, and decorating. A passionate animal lover, Kay adored and cherished her many pet dogs to whom she loved and cared for all her adult life.

Kay was preceded in death by her parents, Charlotte and Jay Eby, and husband, Emil Robert Suppa. Kay will be missed by her many friends at Regency House, and especially by close friends, Dolly Irish and Lynne Alexander.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 30, 2020 at 2:00 PM at the Johnson's Funeral Home Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Concho Valley PAWS at www.conchovalleypaws.org.