My mom was born Catherine Marcella Slauson on Jan 23rd 1942. She was the daughter of Marcella and Leonard Slauson.. 5 years later she got a baby brother named Ernie Slauson.
She grew up in Rensselaer, NY.
At the age of 18 she met Kenneth Colville while she was working as a cashier at Albany Public Market. He had just returned home after serving in the US Air Force.
They married on May 21, 1960 at St. Johns Roman Catholic Church.
They continue to live in Rensselaer, where both of their parents lived. . Ken had several jobs after his military service, settling on becoming a police officer. On Jan 26th, 1961 Cathy had her first baby, a boy they named James. (after his paternal grandfather)
He was followed in 1966 (Feb 9th) by a daughter named Cynthia, and another son in 1968( Jan 11 ), named Kenneth, jr.
Cathy enjoyed her career as a wife and mother and home maker. She loved animals, and often her kids had lots of pets which she actually cared for. She always made Sundays and Holidays special time for family and cooked wonderful meals.
In 1977 the family moved to Waterford, NY due to Kens job. Cathy lived there for 11 yrs. She suffered a devastating breakup of her marriage at the age of 42. She moved back to the Rensselaer area, near family.
Finding herself suddenly alone, she entered the workforce. It was a scary time, but she found independance she had never known. Though she never drove a car, she did go back and finish getting her High School Diploma...and accomplishment she was proud of! She met another man , Raymond, who was her companion for 12 years. They enjoyed traveling and especially going to Saratoga Race Track. Cathy became a grandmother in the 1980's , three times ...children born to James; Her grandchildren were Crystal , Jimmy and Joshua.
Cathy also had a very strong relationship with her Mother. [Cathys father had died in 1962 in an accident ] Sadly, Cathys brother died and untimely death from a heart attack in 1987.
In 1996 Cathy was diagnosed with metastatic Breast Cancer. She was living with her younger son, Kenny, and Cindy lived nearby.
Cathy stayed at home, cared for by her son, with help from her daughter and an aide. ..........Cathy battled cancer for 4 years. First she underwent a lumpectomy/radiation to treat the breast cancer; She remained cancer free for one year, before it returned ..bone cancer. It later spread to the brain, and her prognosis rapidly worsened. ......She was finally admitted to St. Peters Hospice Inn in Albany, NY when caring for her became more than family could manage.
Cathy went home to be with the Lord on March 3, 2000.. Her Mother, Marcella, followed her and passed away on October 13, 2000.
Cathy will be remembered for her love of GOD and family , and her old school values.
By Cindy Horowitz (daughter)
In Memory....
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Amy Utterback
Her body was heavily scarred and frail, but her spirit was fierce. My maternal grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. This is saying something, as she had been diagnosed in 1950. At the time, radical mastectomy was the best treatment, where the surgeon removes all of the breast tissue as well as the nipple, lymph nodes in the armpit, and the chest wall muscles under the breast. She never did have any kind of reconstructive surgery, so she would put several pads into the empty half of her bra. She also lacked quite a bit of muscular strength, but her strength of character more than made up for it.
Being a survivor, her heart was large and she spent years volunteering for the local hospital and Hospice program. She was a red hat lady before there were red hat ladies. My grandmother loved the color red and she loved hats, so she had a large collection of red hats. Her favorite thing to do was to decorate the hats in goofy ways and wear them while walking through the hospital to spread cheer. She had hats with holiday lights glued on, fake cardinal birds, tacky flowers, glitter….whatever mood struck her.
She spent weekends caring for her grandkids (including myself), and we often played Gin Rummy. She also offered me cigarettes when I was around 14, and I’m pretty sure she provided dirty magazines to my cousin. She was a feminist before there really was such a thing in rural Missouri, and I remember reading a book of hers put out by Virginia Slims cigarettes with pictures and feminist mottos beneath….I think the smoking was her streak of rebellion.
My grandmother’s fierceness proves that mind over matter is a thing. Cancer can hold the body down temporarily, but the mind can, and often does, come back to turn the tables and hold the sickness down. Cancer does not define who you are, who you are defines how you are when you fight and survive, and how you live.
by Elizabeth Curry (granddaughter)
