My memories of Catherine go way back. I remember one of Mary’s birthday parties when the skies lit up as King Street burned – we were maybe ten. Living just up the street I spent many hours there. It was the favourite gathering place for Inga and I to play pool in the basement with Mary, at times having to unscrew the pool cue to make a tight shot next the wall. We would often have sleepovers on Friday nights watching horror shows at midnight and eating pizza, Catherine and Eugene watching with us. Catherine’s house, especially the kitchen, was warm and always welcoming. She would often be in the kitchen making homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, cheese and onion sandwiches for Eugene or potato pancakes sometimes enjoying a beer while she cooked. The kitchen was where we would dye each others hair while she watched us. Endless games of monopoly played at her kitchen table – I was always trying desperately to beat Mary but to no avail. She was another mom for me. Someone I could confide in and talk about anything. She always had time to listen occasionally giving advice. She had the best laugh, always smiling. She told stories of our families, my dad as a young man and grandparents I had never met. She never learned to drive that I recall but that didn’t stop her from getting around. Someone was always taking her to the store to get groceries. Spike, Buck and Mary Ann added to an already full house with more stories, good natured teasing and the famous spitting watermelon seeds story as told by Buck. Karl would be there too while we were dating. We would even park in the Datsun in the side driveway on Hermie Place listening to the Moody Blues. There was always room at the Geffros’ house. In later years Karl and I would look forward to mass on Christmas Eve at St. Mary’s. Mary and Norm would take her to mass and we could always spot her sitting near the front. She was a remarkable woman. A life full of love and laughter during good times and sad times. Her family and friends were everything to her. Our memories will forever keep her close in our hearts.