Obituary of Cathleen E. Lang
A few years ago, Cathie was perusing the “Irish Sports Page” and was surprised to see a Cathleen Lang with the same birthday there. As she began to answer calls offering condolences, friends and family were thrilled to know that it was not, in fact, her. Sadly, that is not the case today.
Known for her kindness and sense of humor, Cathie was a truly special person. Though parallel parking and backing up a car were not among her talents, she made up for it in many other ways. Cathie loved to read, enjoying everything from Soap Opera Digest, to Danielle Steele, to Shakespeare; she was a true Renaissance woman. A top consumer of true crime and Hallmark shows and movies, you never knew if you would walk into the house to find a procedural or cheesy love scene playing on the TV. She loved musicals. In the 80’s, you would find her in the car singing along to CATS, in the 90’s, Phantom of the Opera, in the 2000’s, Wicked, and in the 2010’s, Hamilton. She also loved crooners and folk rock. She and her husband shared a love of Harry Chapin. Her grandchildren were especially amused and impressed by her CD collection, as she never quite mastered using digital media for music. During afternoon car rides, a coveted prize was getting to put a disc into her car CD player.
Cathie was born in Hyde Park and was a 1971 graduate of FDR High School. In 1973, she met the love of her life, Robert Lang, in the Clinical Laboratory Assistant Program at Dutchess Community College. Trusting someone enough to practice drawing each other’s blood created the strongest of foundations for a long and happy marriage. They married on October 18, 1975. They moved to Pleasant Valley, where they became lifelong residents and integral members of the town community. In 1983, they welcomed twins, Bridget and Steven. When the twins arrived early, Cathie became a stay-at-home mom to make sure that they received all of the care that they needed. In 1990, she joined the Traver Road Primary School community as a one-on-one aide, then later the main office secretary. Many there knew her for her incredible work ethic and wry sense of humor. You could count on her to quickly type a document, set up a meeting, or bring a random Barbie to school that she has glued “hair” to the toes of and dubbed “Middle Age Barbie.” In 1994, Cathie decided to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. She worked full-time, went to school at night, and still never missed any of her children’s events.
In 2001, Cathie graduated from SUNY New Paltz and began her 17-year career as a first grade, then kindergarten teacher at Fulmar Road in Mahopac. She was especially dedicated to sharing her love of reading with her students and grudgingly taught math. If you wanted to make her giggle, we could reminisce about the year that she was given a particularly difficult class because she was “the nurturing one.” Even in retirement, she never stopped being a teacher, always bringing activities and food projects for her grandkids.
Cathie was passionate in all she did, including her volunteer work at the Pleasant Valley Library to her political activism. She loved to sing; when she was young, she enjoyed open mics, and later in life especially enjoyed singing with the church choir at St. Stanislaus Kostka. And Cathie loved the time spent with her husband, her son and and daughter, and acting as the “dynamic duo” babysitting her grandchildren with their other grandmother and her longtime friend, Barbara Smith. One of her most cherished roles was that of Gigi.
Cathie will be greatly missed by her surviving family members: her loving husband, Robert Lang; her son, Steven Lang; her daughter, Bridget (Ian) Smith and their Children: Gretchen, Jacob, and Alice; her brothers Michael (Susan) Sherwood and Robert (Wanda) Sherwood; her sister AnneMarie (Thomas) Massucci; and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents Arthur and Ann Sherwood, her stepmother Mabel Sherwood, and her sister Patricia Sherwood. Her love, generosity, and infectious humor will be greatly missed by all. ‘
In Lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the American Heart Association, the Dutchess County SPCA, or Animal Rescue Foundation.
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