Catherine Boyle

Catherine Boyle 12/31/1934 - 1/12/2023 Catherine (McKeon) Boyle, (known also by family and friends as Cathy, Kitty and Katie) was called home to God on January 12, 2023 surrounded by loved ones. Her family will tell you that Cathy’s sole purpose in life was to get to heaven and now she’s on her way after a long battle with dementia and subsequent health issues. Married to her soulmate, Johnny, for 61 years, she is also survived by her eight children: John, Patrick, Michael, Stephen, David and Daniel Boyle, Ellen Gibbons and Alannah Sweeney. Born one of 13 children, she is survived by three of her sisters, Theresa (Terry), Hannah (Anne) and Claire. She was predeceased by Michael Francis, Lily, Thomas, Christine, Betty, Carmel, Mary Ellen, and John and Eveylyn who both died as infants as well as her parents Francis and Ellen. Cathy was blessed with and very proud of her 26 grandchildren and her amazing McKeon and Boyle nieces and nephews who live or have lived around the globe -- 77 in all. Cathy’s story of emigration from Ireland to America (via England) is the stuff that novels and major motion pictures are made of. With only faith and trust, she left her home in Mohill, County Leitrim at age 16 hoping that her sisters would be available to greet her upon arrival in London – and of course they were. After nearly three years working there with her sisters Lily, Chris and Betty she made her way to Ellis Island aboard the Queen Mary. She arrived essentially as an indentured servant -- having to repay the family who sponsored her journey with two years of labor. She worked many jobs in those early days and loved to tell the stories of encounters with the movie stars of that era such as Elizabeth Taylor and Margaret Hamilton, who gave her the present of a pocketbook in exchange for her kind service. Cathy met Johnny at a dance in downtown NYC in 1958 and they were married three years later. In classic Cathy fashion, it wasn’t until her 70th birthday that Johnny and her kids learned that she wasn’t the same age as her husband. We thought we were celebrating her 67th birthday when she decided to reveal that she was actually 3 years older. Her first two children were born in NYC. After Johnny learned the carpet trade, Cathy supported his decision to move to upstate NY and start his own business where they would remain for nearly 40 years, first living in Rensselaer, then Burden Lake, and finally at their nearly 30-year home – with the famous rock in front – on Mannix Road in East Greenbush. It was here where Cathy became a devoted member of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Clinton Heights - and where all of her children would attend school. It was the house on Mannix Road where visitors from around the globe would come to visit – sometimes to learn the floor covering business from Johnny, or simply to escape and bask in the hospitality that Cathy would bestow. She was a master cook who, with no training, somehow prepared the most glorious meals whether it was for her “small” family of 10 or a packed house of 50. If she weren’t welcoming guests, she enjoyed packing the family up in the station wagon and heading to common destinations in Long Island, Berkeley Heights, East Durham, Lake George, or to visit her local sisters in East Greenbush or Loudonville. Upon Johnny’s retirement, the two moved to Virginia to be closer to their many children who had moved there. After two years in Callao, they moved to Heritage Hunt in Gainesville and became enmeshed in that community for more than a decade. As Cathy’s health began to fail, all agreed it was best for Cathy and Johnny to move in with Ellen and her family in Manassas where she spent the last three years of her life among a community that adored her. She absolutely loved her Irish family. In fact, as her final days approached, she would talk of little more than wanting to be home with her Leitrim sisters and brothers – as well as her mom and dad. Above all, Cathy lived by her conviction and faith, and ultimately lived her life by the rule: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Calling hours will be from 6-8 PM on Sunday, Jan. 15 at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas, VA. A mass of Catholic burial will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday morning, Jan.16th at St. Mary of Sorrows, 5222 Sideburn Rd, Fairfax, VA. All are welcome for a reception immediately following the funeral mass at Sweeney Barn, 9310 Discovery Blvd, Manassas, VA. All are also welcome to the graveside burial on Tuesday, Jan.17th at 10 am at Stonewall Memory Gardens, 12004 Lee Highway, Manassas. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider a donation to Catholic Charities, USA: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ The mass will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmaryofsorrows/

Catherine Boyle

December 31, 1934 - January 12, 2023