Catherine Mantelli Foery

Aunt Cathy with two of her grandkids, Ethan, left, and Brendan

I’m not exactly sure when I met Catherine Mantelli. It may have been on September 12, 1959, the day she married Thomas Foery and became my Aunt Cathy, or maybe it was the day before. I was ten, about to turn eleven, and I can’t tell you exactly when and where we met, but I can tell you when and where I fell in love with her.

That would have been in Wilmington, Vermont, in early December, 1970. I had written Uncle Tom and asked him about the ski lodge he was running. Could I visit for a week? Could I stay there? He wrote back to say, “be here right after Thanksgiving; the season runs through April so be prepared to stay that long; we won’t pay you but you’ll have room and board and a ski pass. Ok?” I was dumbfounded and thought he must have been answering somebody else’s letter. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought, “why not?’ So off I went to Mt. Snow.

It was a wonderful, hedonistic winter. The work was usually mild, the accommodations were fine, the food excellent and the fun abundant. Best though was the chance to get to know Tom’s family: Aunt Cathy and cousins Mark, Elaine, Mary Ellen and Billy. Cathy’s warmth and smiles got us through many a cold day and her laughter and vivaciousness added immeasurably to many a night of partying.

Aunt Cathy, Catherine Mantelli Foery, died today in Bennington, Vermont, at the age of 96. I have many fond memories of that winter in Vermont, but also of many other times together. One of the more recent incidents that I love to share is pictured below. That’s cousin Bill at the controls of his new (at the time) boom lift; Cathy and I are the passengers. The entire time we were up in the air I was nervous and more than ready to get back down to the ground. Aunt Kay was perfectly comfortable and having a great time. What a remarkable lady she was.

The Foery family is today less than it was yesterday. Go with God, sweet angel.