Antoinette Catalano Obituary

I know your watching over us. I love you and miss you very much. xoxo

Your GrandDaughter

Sometimes I feel awful. I rarely called Grandma or even wrote to here. I had a card i was going to send before she passed. Even though she rarely heard from me I know she knew I loved her. She was an angel. She's on my mind every day and I miss her so much. Grandma I love you and miss you. xoxo

IT WAS MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY MARCH 21ST, AND IT WAS JUST 3-1/2 WEEKS AGO THAT SHE PASSED AWAY. I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE SHE IS GONE. MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT HER.



FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF HER LIFE, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF LIVING WITH MY MOM AND HELPING HER. SHORTLY AFTER I ARRIVED, I SAW HOW DIFFICULT SIMPLE TASKS WERE FOR HER AND HOW SHE TIRED SO EASILY. DESPITE HER STRUGGLES, SHE DIDN'T GAVE UP. WHEN SHE BROKE HER RIGHT ARM, SHE STILL MANAGED TO WASH DISHES. IT WAS NEVER A BURDEN TO DO ANYTHING FOR HER AS I KNEW SHE WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME FOR ME. SHE TAUGHT ME TO BE THE PERSON I AM TODAY, AND I THANK HER FOR THAT. IT WAS DURING THAT SIX-MONTH PERIOD THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW HER AND SPEND TIME WITH HER AS I NEVER WAS ABLE TO BEFORE. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE HAD THAT TIME WITH HER. ON A DAILY BASIS, I SAW WHAT A KIND, GENTLE, CARING AND LOVING PERSON SHE WAS AND WILL ALWAYS CHERISH THOSE MEMORIES.



IT IS NOW DIFFICULT TO REALIZE MY MOM IS GONE, BUT HER MEMORY WILL FOREVER BE IN MY MIND AND IN MY HEART. I WILL TRULY MISS HER.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM. I LOVE YOU.



YOUR DAUGHTER, TONI.

Happy Birthday, Grandma. Ti amo sempre.



The death of a loved one is a hard thing to deal with. As you know, I lost my father on July 10, 1995. Everyone’s condolences and best wishes did not seem to help the pain and suffering that I felt on that day, though everyone’s wishes were comforting to know that you and your parent affected so many people’s lives. No words could describe the pain I felt, no words could help me get over the pain.



It took me a while to heal from the pain. When he passed away, I questioned God why he took my father so soon. I felt angry that I never had the chance to say the words I wanted to tell him before he passed away, “I love you”. I kept thinking in my head, how could I have been a better son, how could I have spent more quality time with him, what could I have done to make this pain that I feel, less.



It was not until I started to look at my father’s death in a different light that I started to feel better. My pain and suffering was from within. I was the one that caused the pain and suffering. My negative thoughts and selfishness was causing the pain. It is often that we think death as a negative thing (the lost of a loved one, the pain and suffering our parent felt, the pain and suffering that we feel for our lost). Why do we do this to ourselves? Didn’t we learn that death brings new eternal life with God? The bible describes death as a beautiful thing (the heaven and the angels). Why don’t we feel happy for our loved ones that passed away? Their pain on earth is over (positive). Their new eternal life begins (positive). The chain of love may be broken, but it will rejoin when we pass away (positive). Death is really a positive thing if you choose to look at it that way. Be thankful for the memories that we had with our loved ones.



They say a person should not measure their wealth by how much money they have in their bank account, how much their property is worth, how many cars they have in their garage, or any other material objects. We should measure a person’s wealth by the amount of family and friends they have at the time of their death. If we use this measurement, you will see our family is truly rich.



They also say that everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. We must not fear death, we should fear not living. We must not be afraid of taking risks. Without taking risks, we do not receive some of our greatest rewards of God’s gift of life.



Going forth, we must keep the Catalano tradition alive. We must continue to teach our children and our children’s children the value of caring for others and putting family first. If we are successful, we will keep Giulia Marchetti’s, Antoinette and Anthony Catalano’s spirit alive and we will one day see them again.



Love,

Kenneth

Happy Birthday, Mom.

We miss you more and more each day. It already seems like an eternity since we last seen you. I still can't get use to the idea that you have gone. You are on my mind every minute of the day. I hope and pray you're having a great time with Gramma, Dad, Dave, Dick and all of the other family members. We love and miss all of you.

A Eulogy for Mom (given February 28, 2006)



Hello, my name is Leonard Catalano. Thank you all for coming here today to honor the life of my mother, Antoinette Catalano. It means a lot to have the love and support of so many family members and friends at this time.



My mother was born in 1922 in a small town near the northwestern coast of Italy called San Ginese, which is in the province of Lucca. Her father, Pietro Marchetti, left to establish a new home in the United States for his family seven months prior to her birth. It was not until the age of 6 that she could be with her father for the first time. That is when her mother, Giulia, her older brother Stefano, and herself could migrate to the United States to be with Pietro in Chicago. As with many immigrant families, the husband came first to the new country to establish a new home for his family left behind. In Chicago her family would grow with the birth of a sister named Ginetta and a new brother named Salvatore. The Marchetti family lived on the Near North Side of Chicago for many years in an Italian neighborhood where my mother was proud to earn her grammar school diploma at the Assumption School in 1937. She gave up the opportunity to get a high school diploma so that she could help her mother with the upbringing of her younger sister and brother. At this early age of 15 she was already making sacrifices and putting her family first. Then on one fateful summer day a handsome young man named Anthony Catalano asked her for a taste of her ice cream cone as she walked down the street. She shyly said “Yes” and one thing lead to another before they became man and wife in 1941. (I’m sure there was some courting going on between the ice cream and the marriage but this is the one thing that I remember my mother saying about her courtship with my dad.)



They soon produced their first child Rose Ann followed by Julia, Leonard, Theresa, Peter, and Ann Toni. They realized that they outgrew their apartment on Cleveland Avenue and with Grandma Giulia’s help they purchased the home on Addison Street in 1957. There was so much extra room at the house that they decided to have their seventh child, Christina. (My mother lived in this same house until her last days.)



My mother and father always put their family first. They always made sure that we had enough to eat, good clothes to wear, went to Church every Sunday, and attended good Catholic schools. In fact, the last six of us graduated right here at St.Andrews. Material things were few and far between but we never felt deprived. As long as we had each other we were happy. My father sometimes worked three jobs to make ends meet and to save enough to buy our house. My mother occasionally helped out financially by working jobs outside the home but only if she was sure her kids were taken care of. That usually took the form of my older sisters, Rose Ann and Judy, watching us. (Ugh)



As each of her kids married she welcomed their spouses and their families with open arms. Every grandchild was like a new treasure from God. And the blessings multiplied as some of these grandchildren married and produce more treasures. As a family tradition all were welcomed to her Addison Street home every Sunday evening.



As each of her seven children left the house, mom began to have more free time to spend on her hobbies like playing the organ, playing bocce ball at the Italian club, bowling, and some traveling. One of my family’s fondest memories is of a vacation we took with her and my father to Disney World in Florida, where we all were surprised by the terror of the Space Mountain ride in such a tranquil setting.



She also loved to dance and to play the organ. She even took private organ lessons in downtown Chicago.



She enjoyed plastering walls and even as recently as last year she was cement coating walls in the basement.



She had her February contribution envelopes for St. Andrew’s Church already filled and waiting to be used with her regular Sunday attendance at this church before this last heart attack. She was also generous to numerous other charities. She gave to some that were probably not charities at all showing that her heart was always in the right place.



She learned to drive late in life and was proud that she could drive herself. She kept her driver’s license until the end despite her Elgin trip and her garage wall incident.



She lived at home until her last heart attack loving her independence until the end just like her mother for whom she was the primary caregiver in the later years of grandma’s almost 103 years of life.



In closing, I’d like to thank everyone who helped the family in mom’s final days and throughout her life. I really believe that she asked God to give her those extra 19 days after the last heart attack so that she could spend more time with family and friends. This was her joy. This was her life.

Hello everyone,

I would have written earlier, but I really did not know what to say, where to start or how to address this note. The pain of grandma anns passing still lingers. It did not really hit me until I went over to her house to take Bianco(her dog) to save a pet. As I walked around her house the memories began to fill my head. The memories of all our family together on sundays laughing, eating coffee cake, drinking milk out of a 2 oz. glass. The memories of my childhood with all my aunts and uncles cousins and friends. Papa's smoke smell, grandma Guilia's smile, uncle Ed's suburban, and the once in a blue moon trip to McDonald's. I can go on and on. The interesting thing is that when your young and have no worries you do not realize how precious life can be. If there is one thing that my brief life has taught me is that always cherish the time you have with each other, because it may not last very long.

I have recently been on many job interviews, and the one question that I always am asked is "what are you most proud of?" My answer is always "My family." We have been together for my whole life, friends have come and gone, some of us have moved, some have passed away, and most of us are strange, but there is one thing that is constant: LOVE. I owe it all to you grandma Ann, you raised my father and your daughters to teach faith, love, and honesty. Because of you I am a terrible liar, because of you people trust me, because of you I enjoy every day I am alive, because of you I like the CUBS, because of you I have sometimes been called "too nice", because of you I pray, because of you I know I will be OK, because of you I sometimes get lost,because of you I will send more birthday cards, because of you some people say I'm a good person, and most of all, because you were such a great infleunce in my life you taught me how to love another human being. Grandma Ann I will never forget you and all the lessons you taught me. I know you are in heaven now, probably blessing everyone and telling them how much you love them. I can hear your voice know telling me how much you love me and I want you too know that I love you too and miss you.

Love your grandson,

Anthony Leonard Catalano

ANTIONETTE was filled with life , laughter and fun. She has surely been welcomed by those friends and relatives who passed on before her and have greeted her "at the other side of the shore".

Lenorad, Peter, Roseanne, Judy, Chris, Terri, Tony and Familys: I was lucky to see Aunty Ann two Sundays ago. Tony and I will hold you all in our prays. We love you all. Just stay strong and lean on each other. Love Jo Ann & Tony

Dear Diane and Lenny,

We were sadden to hear about your mother. We have fond memories of her at your old house on Albany. If there is anything we can do please call us. We know that she will be missed by all her children, granchildren and greatgrandchildren.

You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Dearest Toni and children,

I am thinking of you and i have you in my heart.As your mom enters heaven,she will be warmly smiling because of the sweetness of your love for her.She will float amongst the angels forever.Please be strong. I will always be here for you.Love,Shirley

Dear Catalano Family,it must be very difficult losing such a wonderful person and the head of your family.Your mother always made me feel comfortable and welcomed.My deepest heartfelt sympathy to all of you.May God be with all of you.Sincerly,Frank Nicosia Jr.and my Family.

Dear Chris and Family....



My thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. I pray that God will give you the strength that you need to help get you through this.



Your mother is safe in God's arms. There is no suffering, just eternal peace. That in itself is very comforting to know.



My sincerest condolences to the Catalano & Marchetti families.

Dear Rose Ann, Judy, Leonard, Teri, Peter, Toni, Chrissy and families:



We will always remember Auntie Ann's warm smile and kind/loving heart. She will be missed dearly. Our deepest and heartfelt sympathy.



Love,

Gerry and Carrie Catalano

Der Judy and Family, We were so sorry to hear about your Mom. Take care. Love, Sue, John & Pam