Catherine M. Mehall

Young Katy grew up at 593 East 110th Street, Cleveland 8, Ohio. She attended Saint Aloysius Catholic School. While there, she made “alphabetical friends” with Trudy Maher and Betty Mehall. (Mahar~Mehall~Metz) Trudy said she can remember that as early as 5th grade young Katy had designs for Betty’s older brother, Andy. Katy grew into her beautiful self quite early in life, and Andy began to notice. When Andy joined the Army during the Korean Conflict, he was stationed in Germany. Before writing to her future husband, Katy would put on her best and apply her lipstick. Her cousin Donna would watch Katy sit down and write to her boyfriend and future husband. And she especially remembered and loved how Katy would end the letter with a lipstick kiss!

Andy returned from the military, and they were married on February 15th, 1955. They bought their first house together at 11515 Shadeland Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, and had 5 children, Andrew, Grace, Jeffrey, and the twins, Jennifer and Laura.

In 1963 they bought a 50-acre farm out in Saybrook, Ohio on Rt. 84. They raised 3 acres of strawberries and 5 acres of sweet corn that Kate and the kids sold on a makeshift stand along the road in front of their house while her husband raised hay and grain on the other acreage as well as working on the railroad. During the summer, Kate would have as many as 10 strawberry pickers at a time keeping the stand supplied with berries. During the winter months, Kate would drive the delivery truck loaded with hay for deliveries with her sons and the twin neighbor boys, Brian and Colin Goff, after the kids arrived home from school.

In 1967, an early snowstorm devastated the soybean crop. It was a huge blow financially and eventually led to the family having to liquidate and start over. But on a good note, it was the year that her sixth child, Craig, was born.

After some years of rebuilding and getting things in order, the family moved to South Madison. There, they helped with the building of Thunder Hill Golf Course. The company, South Shore Producers, was also established. The company was awarded a contract to manage the Equestrian Center for Lake Erie Collage in Painesville, Ohio. During that tenure, Kate managed the concessions during the various horse shows and related events there.

By 1975, the family relocated to a farm on Clay Street on the Harpersfield/ Austinburg border. Still in the hay business, sweet corn was also brought back on a bigger scale. Kate oversaw selling the sweet corn, pumpkins, and an assortment of other produce on a stand across from the Painesville Shopping Center, along Rt 20.

In the early 1980s, the Family purchased Fruitland Market on East 185th Street in Cleveland. Kate and Andy moved back to Cleveland to oversee the running of the business and help her daughter, Jennifer, as much as possible. Of course, her other children also contributed.

In 1998, Fruitland was sold and Kate and Andy moved back east to Austinburg Township.1531 Chapel Road ~ Jefferson, Ohio. She continued helping her husband and sons with their hay business when needed. She also had to spend a lot of time taking care of her daughter, Laura, while doing her best to enjoy life as much as possible! Around that time, she dropped the “K” from her nickname “Kate” and replaced it with a “C” to go along with the spelling of her birthname, Catherine. She was now “Cate”!

Finally, in 2021, at the urging of her family, she and Andy agreed to move back to the Cleveland area. They realized they needed to be closer to their healthcare facilities and family. They moved to Novelty (Russell Township) and remained there ‘till the end.

Cate enjoyed going to golf tournaments with her daughter Laura. She and Andy loved spending time with Laura in Key West. She also helped Laura with the raising of her daughter, Lesley, for many years. Cate enjoyed her visits to Las Vegas to see her daughter Grace and her granddaughter, Nicole. Cate loved her time-share weeks in February at the Sand Pebble Resort in Treasure Island, Fl. During her 2 weeks’ stay, she loved to visit with her sister Lori, Lori’s husband Paul, daughter Dee and son Steven and loved her morning beach walks. She enjoyed going to North Carolina to see her son Jeffrey and his daughters Bethany and Shelby and son Michael. She also enjoyed visiting her daughter Jennifer and her husband Tom in Massachusetts. As well as her granddaughters Andrea and Carly.

Cate loved cooking and baking. Her Christmas and Easter hams were always the talk of the gathering. Along with her exceptional potato salad! Her nut and poppyseed rolls will never be surpassed. Her Christmas cookies were yummy! She also made killer cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers! For the few of us who loved eating it, her liver and onions were sensational! Let’s not forget her macaroni tomato and beef!!! We called it goulash!!

Cate loved shopping! She was the queen of window-shopping. Many times, she could go shopping, come home with nothing, but loved talking about the things she saw. Just as many times, she did come home with something! Those things usually showed up at our annual Christmas gathering wrapped in Christmas paper and proudly dumped on the floor for our traditional dice game called 7/11.

She loved watching Shark Tank but was most fond of old movies. Especially the ones on TMC. She loved talking about the older movie stars but was also a fan of many still active. Like Meryl Streep.

Cate loved and cherished her dad’s sister, Aunt Hazel Kniesner. She was especially proud of the fact that her Aunt Hazel’s California house was the house they used for the filming of the 1952 classic “Singing in the Rain”, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor.

Cate had a special long-lasting relationship with her cousins Lynda Kruger, Donna Brandon, and Carol Nagy. She loved them dearly!

She had a sisterlike friendship with Reema Shivdasani and Reema’s daughter Jyoti Chandnani. As well as a family friendship with Paul Byam and the late Hari Chandnani.

Cate loved going on fitness walks and taking care of her health. In her younger days, she would go on 4-mile walks, especially during her years on Nottingham during the Fruitland years. When they moved back to Austinburg, she would go to the Spire for walks.

She always talked of her relationships and appreciated her doctors. Starting with Doctor William Cleveland who delivered all 6 of her children at Woman’s General Hospital in Cleveland. Also, her general practitioner, Dr Susan Engel Kominsky, her rheumatologist, Dr Janice Granieri, and her oncologist, Dr Khaled Hassan.

At the end, she and Andy loved and appreciated their Hospice caregivers!! Special kudos to Isabelle Varney, Molly Snyder, and Kristen Prazek. And the entire Hospice team. As well as a mention to the Hospice doctor, Dr Calvin Warner. And to their daughter-in-law, Salli Mehall, who was always there for them!

She was preceded in death by her mother; Marie Metz, and father; Matt Metz ~ her husband; Andrew J (Andy)(A.J.) Mehall ~ her brother; George Metz ~ her sisters; Thresa (Terry) Watson and Rose Fialko ~ her daughter; Laura Vizurraga ~ and her granddaughter; Bethany Mehall

She is survived by her sister; Loretta (Lori) Kenneman ~ her children; Andrew John (Salli) Mehall, Grace Marie, Jeffrey Michael Mehall, Jennifer Lynn (Tom) Lombardo, and Craig Vincent (Danielle) Mehall ~ Granddaughters; Nicole Zupancic, Jamie Burgett, Lesley Vizurraga, Andrea Perrotte, Shelby Mehall, Carly Lombardo, and Olivia Gillespie ~ Grandsons; Michael Mehall, Carter Mehall, and Craig Mehall ~ Great granddaughters, Parker Zupancic and Olivia Zupancic ~ Great-grandsons; Jason Welch, Gavin Burgett, Jeremiah Mehall, Matthew Mehall, and Maxwell Mehall.

A memorial gathering and celebration of life will be held at 12:00 Noon, on May 17th, 2025, at Kosicek Vineyards ~ 636 State Rte. 534 ~ Geneva (Harpersfield), Ohio 44041