Catherine I. Cesarine

Born: 11/20/1940
Died: 2/27/2012

Catherine I. Cesarine (née Canning), age 71, a retired Naval Reserve Chief Petty Officer and retired stock room supervisor at General Electric’s Valley Forge facility, died peacefully with her loved ones at her side on Monday, February 27, 2012, after a long battle with cancer at Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE. She had lived in Philadelphia and Folcroft, PA, before moving to Penns Grove, NJ.
Born in Philadelphia, Chief Cesarine graduated from St. Hubert High School for Girls in 1958. She worked at Wanamaker’s before enlisting in the Air Force in 1962 and was stationed in Guam. She was discharged in 1964 and had a break in service until 1980 when she enlisted in the Navy Reserve.
Chief Cesarine was an intelligence specialist who spent many years drilling at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station. She served her county on active duty during the First Gulf War. She was stationed in the UK at RAF Molesworth. Serving our country runs in her family; one of her brothers is a retired Army Reserve Colonel, another served in the Coast Guard, and one of her sons is a retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. Chief Cesarine’s son had the pleasure of re-enlisting her when he was a second lieutenant and the caption under the photo in the base paper read “you never outrank your mother!”
In the late 1970s, Cathy began her career at General Electric as a guard at the Valley Forge facility. Over the next 15 years, she worked her way to stock room supervisor at General Electric’s 32nd and Chestnut Street facility. She took up the game of golf while at GE and played for many years in the company golf league.
When the facility closed, she earned a Registered Nurse certificate and briefly worked in the medical field. Cathy enjoyed her retirement by taking many continuing education classes at Salem County Community College. She also continued to work for a period of time before her illness. She was a substitute elementary school teacher as well as a building inspector for Penns Grove borough.
Cathy was a criminal justice buff and took many college classes on the subject and loved watching the “CSI” series on television. She also loved Tigger and enjoyed visiting Disney World.
Cathy is survived by longtime partner Peg, daughter Chamaine, sons Stephen and Albert, brothers Ed, Tom, Ray, and John, sister Moira, seven grandchildren, her beloved goddaughter Kate, and many, many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother Margaret, father Edward, brother Joe, and sister Peggy.
Visitation will be held from 11 am to 1 pm on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 1000 N. DuPont Parkway, New Castle, DE 19720. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1:30 pm at Our Lady of Fatima R.C. Church, 801 N. DuPont Parkway, New Castle, DE 19720. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Philadelphia Chapter of the USO at libertyuso.org; or to St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, 7320 Torresdale Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19136 (mark donations for “Alumnae Fund”).