Cathedral High School - Class of '68, 55th Reunion

Sad note sent along from Debbie Rooney DeCarli. Thomas Littlejohn, a member of our Cathedral High School - Class of 1968, has recently passed away. Send prayers for Tom.

Sad note to pass along, Classmate David Auth has recently passed away. This information has come to us from Toni Liquori, with thanks.

Sorry, this note is long overdue. Apparently because no one stepped-up to put together a 55th Reunion, there will not be one this year.

Sad note to pass along, Classmate Joe Gotta has recently passed away.

PAUL GARVEY OBITUARY
Paul K. Garvey 1950 - 2022 Villages, FL Paul K. Garvey, 71, a resident of the Villages, FL, and formerly of Springfield, passed away peacefully on April 14, 2022. Born June 30, 1950, son of the late George and Mary (Lewenczuk) Garvey, he was a graduate of Cathedral High School, Westfield State College, and Western New England College, where he earned his Masters' Degree. Prior to retiring in 2010 from the MA Division of Banks as a field manager, Paul was employed by the City of Springfield DPW. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing in local golf leagues with longtime good friends at Franconia Golf Club. Paul is survived by his uncle, Robert Garvey; several cousins in Springfield and Westfield, and in areas of Maine, Florida and West Virginia. In addition, Paul will be missed by lifelong friends, Mike and Linda Galente, Tommy Littlejohn, and Marty Sullivan. Family and friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial for Paul at 10AM on Thursday, August 25th, in Sacred Heart Church, 395 Chestnut St., Springfield. Burial will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Chicopee.
Thanks to Debbie Rooney DeCarli for passing along this update.

This just caught up with me. On January 18, 2021, Classmate Anthony Evaristo passed away. Rest In Peace, Tony.

Sister Alice Kenney

More Sad News - Thank you to Toni Liquori for passing this on.

Sister Alice Kenney, (Sr James Martin), 94, beloved member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, died at Bethany Health Care Center on June 29, 2022. A native of Newport, RI, she was the daughter of Martin and Mary (McMahon) Kenney, sister of James and Edward Kenney.

Sister Alice entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield from St. Joseph Parish, Newport in 1947. She graduated from St. Catherine Academy in Newport, RI. She earned a BA degree from the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee and a M.A.T. in German from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. Sister pursued additional studies at Boston College; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY and Catholic University, Washington, D.C. She also spent a Sabbatical year at Notre Dame University.

Sister Alice taught at Cathedral Grammar School and Cathedral High School both in Springfield. While teaching at Cathedral High she also served as Chair of the Language Department. She served as Principal at Marianhill Central High School in Southbridge for two years before returning to Cathedral High School as Principal in 1973. From 1980-1996 she served as Associate Director of Continuing Education at the College of Our Lady of the Elms.
From 1981 to 2007 she coordinated weekly SSJ ministry to the Springfield Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. When the Springfield Police Department established the Chaplains-on-Call program Sister was one of the first to serve and did so for six years.

In addition to her Sisters in Community, Sr. Alice is survived by several generations of loving nieces and nephews, including Margaret Kenney, SSJ, Marie Thompson, James Kenney (Laurel), Martin Kenney (Joann), Alice Hamilton (Arthur), Larry Kenney, Edward Kenney and Ginger Kenney.

Services for Sr. Alice will take place on Thursday, July 7 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield. She will be waked at 9 AM with a prayer service at 9:45 AM. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 AM. Burial will be in Mont Marie Cemetery in Holyoke.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.

Very sad news to report today, Linda LaRiviere Rooney has passed away. I don't think that it was possible to meet up with Linda, and not walk away with a great big smile on your face, she was truly such a sweetheart that will be missed by all who knew her. Thanks to Nancy Hess Moore Bardwell for passing along this solemn note.

A sad note to post, which is why I waited until after the holiday's. Classmate Thomas Marotte passed away on November 21. Thank you to Bobbi Foley Gilligan for bringing that to my attention.

Another difficult notice to pass along, fellow classmates. Today Gayle Marie Caron Bynicki passed away.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/masslive/name/mary-gonzalez-obituary?pid=199309357

Just wanted to inform everyone of the passing of another classmate, Mary Ferriter. Thanking Mike Williams for the update.

Mary Ferriter Gonzalez Obituary (2021) The Republican View Mary Ferriter Gonzalez's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

A whole new world was about to open up to us, 53 years ago today.

Mary Lou (Sullivan) Connolly grew up in a working-class section of Springfield, Massachusetts known as “Hungry Hill Home of the Irish.” The Hill’s residents were primarily Irish—and they were also, for the most part, Catholic. The author recounts the characters, events and places that influenced her childhood in the 50’s and early 60’s. In this love letter to her childhood, Connolly shares tender memories of her four immigrant grandparents, special times spent with her attentive aunts and uncles, adventures with neighborhood friends, moments with her three brothers, remembrances of her Catholic education, and portraits of her parents through a child’s eye. This book is about a special childhood in a special time and place. It is relatable to anyone who grew up in an environment laced with cultural and religious traditions. If you’re looking for angst and dark family secrets, Connolly warns you will not find them within. The author's self-deprecating humor (something her brothers hopefully share)—and several of the memories she recounts are chuckle-worthy, even laugh-out-loud. The photos, some well-worn and ill-preserved, memorialize a number of the special characters within the covers of what Connolly refers to as this “little book.”
A lot of us spent time during COVID sorting photos and remembering simpler, less complex times. This is my version; available now on Amazon. Thanks Joe Christofori, Paul Meagher, Timmy Donoghue, Mary Fleury (Woods), Joanne Dooley Murphy, Bobbi Foley Gilligan , Suzy James (Grimaldi) and Joan Heffernan (Sullivan) for your contributions and/or clarification of some remembrances. Oops! I forgot to mention Sheila O'Neill and Danny Warwick. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578855364?fbclid=IwAR3t_kDpKtb0RCVLV712JL2bOSjurqYtovSiyGg2oJv_WpqspOpq_8I0rOI

I'm going to try something new, just for fun. How many can remember having to take the late bus home from Cathedral? Maybe you belonged to a certain club that had your attention, or worked on the various shows that we put on, i.e. Minstrel Show. Just maybe you had detention, well we all know that just happens sometimes. So anyway you took the late bus home that took you to downtown Springfield where you could get a transfer to Chicopee or West Spfld or East Spfld. If that happened to me, and we had inclement weather, this is what I was always looking for, trying to find a way under the Steiger's overhang, that was always crowded, and catch my CAREW TO E. SPFLD bus. How about you, bring back memories, good or bad. What bus did you have to take to get how?