Diana T. Cattano

It is said that if someone dies on a holy day, they must be a special person because they go straight to Heaven. We believe this to be true for our incredible 97-year-old mother, Diana T. Cattano whom we lost on Christmas, December 25, 2023, days after suffering a devastating stroke.

Diana was a very special lady who loved deeply and was intensely loyal to family and friends. She was a native New Yorker, born in March 1926 and raised in Brooklyn. As a teenager, she moved to Queens with her parents Frances and Charles Dimino, and her sister Joan to a house that would remain Diana’s lifelong home. Theirs was a big Italian family who lived nearby and enjoyed being together, which made weekly gatherings lively and bountiful.

Diana added to the clan by creating her own family: marrying husband Vincent, who adored her, on December 28, 1951. He patiently ate more than his share of the bluefish dinners she proudly served him every other day when they first married, which was the only dish she felt she had mastered. But soon her repertoire and skills grew to rival the best chefs, and the only issue with her cooking was why there wasn’t more of it. They were married for over 50 years until he died in 2003. Son Dr. Charles Cattano married Janice Schnelling and gave mom two grandchildren: Danielle and David who is newly married to Dana Gips. Daughter Donna, now retired, is married to Israel Simoes.

Professionally, our mother excelled and had an accomplished career in education and a reputation for being generous with her talents and time. She believed that education was the foundation of a good and productive life and so chose to pursue teaching. She first worked at WOR Radio as an Executive Secretary while earning a Master of Arts from New York University in Manhattan. Afterward, she started what would become a 45-year career as an educator with the New York City School system, teaching primarily business education classes to junior high school and high schoolers. She also taught us.

To say that she was involved in our education is an understatement, and she would often surprise us in our own classrooms as the substitute teacher! Both she and Dad, a high school guidance counselor, dedicated themselves to ensuring that we made the most of our schooling, and they were our cheerleaders. “Puff and Perseverance” was a phrase coined by Dad to encourage us to keep practicing our wind instruments when we were younger. But Mom loved it so much that she adopted the phrase as her motto to spur us on, in almost every situation. Whenever either of us succeeded at something big and told her about it, Mom would shout out “Ka-dooze! Ka-dooze!” (her unique pronunciation of the word “kudos”). Then we’d break out laughing and start the celebration.

Diana’s strong faith became as essential to her as air and water, especially in later years. She was devoted to the Blessed Mother and recited the Rosary multiple times a day. She became more active in her local parish, Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Fresh Meadows, after retiring in 1995 to better focus her attention on the care of our dad (who developed a progressive condition). There she volunteered as a Eucharistic Minister and joined their Prayer Group. She and Dad also volunteered for many years at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, where Donna worked at the time.

In addition to her faith, family and profession, Diana was blessed with stunningly youthful beauty, health and cognition. She especially delighted in challenging people to guess her age: invariably they would be off by 20 or so years. She was always put together and, no matter the occasion, would dress up a notch more than needed. Even as a child, she displayed elegance and pride in her appearance. “Dress like a lady,” she would always advise. Her signature outfit was not complete without heels, a touch of red lipstick, and a little white sweater.

Our mom loved children and believed that every child should have the opportunity to live life fully. She marveled at the miracles happening at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and it became her favorite charity. While our family appreciates all of your gestures of remembrance of her, in place of flowers we would be most grateful if you chose to support this wonderful organization with a donation in Diana’s name: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital / Diana T. Cattano Memorial Fund. https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Memorials/Memorials?px=8266974&pg=personal&fr_id=154020©_link_share

Mom had so many special people in her life, and our family is grateful that you were one of them. —Donna and Charles Cattano

Arrangements

Visitation for Diana will be held on Friday, December 29 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Frederick Funeral Home, 192-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11358. The funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday, December 30 from 9:15 AM to 10:00 AM at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, 175-20 74 Avenue, Fresh Meadows, NY 11366; entombment will follow from 10:45 AM to 11:15 AM at St. John Cemetery, 80-01 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, NY 11379.