Catherine Vanden Heuvel

Catherine (Curtin) Vanden Heuvel, 86, of Bristol, passed away peacefully and on her own terms, surrounded by her family on Monday evening, May 7, 2018. She was the wife of the late John “Uncle Sam” Vanden Heuvel.

Catherine was born in Astoria, NY on April 5, 1932 a daughter of the late Cornelius and Elizabeth (Morgan) Curtin. For many years she had worked as a nurse’s aide at Bristol Convalescent home and then with the Bristol VNA. She was a member of St. Gregory Church and had been a member of the Red Hat Society. Catherine was the matriarch of her family. She loved caring for them, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was known to have taken them to play one on one basketball with her and she always won. She enjoyed her trip to Ireland with her brothers and sisters, visiting family in New York and New Jersey and picnics with her girlfriends.

She leaves her sons, John Vanden Heuvel (Diane) and David Vanden Heuvel (Wanda), daughters Mary Michalczyk, Catherine Vanden Heuvel and Sophia Bailey (Robert) all of Bristol; brother David Curtin (Alice) of LI, NY, sisters Marie Egan of Stanhope, NJ, Elizabeth Orzo (Pasquale) of Spotswood, NJ, Winifred Charles of Sparta, NJ; grandchildren John Vanden Heuvel, Ray Fournier, Eric Lockshire, Amy Orsini, Jacqueline, Daniel and Samantha Bailey, Cassandra and Ashley Vanden Heuvel, Catherine Keough, Elizabeth Beaulieu, John Landry, Shawn Meehan and Jessica Farina; great grandchildren, Brian Harris, John, Dylan and Savannah Vanden Heuvel, Cody Gagnon, Luca and Aria Orsini, Daisy, Heather, Charlie, and Cole Lockshire, Emma and Ally Bailey, Cassidy and Cameron Fournier, Brooklyn Eldred, Gregory Levesque, Connor Cordiero and Marlee Maio; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her children James and Robert Vanden Heuvel, Joan E. Keough, brother Cornelius Curtin, her twin sister Anna Raible and great grandson Alexander Fournier.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Gregory the Great Church, 235 Maltby St., Bristol. Those wishing to attend are asked to go directly to the church. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Bristol Veterans Council, Inc., P.O. Box 2634, Bristol, CT 06011-2634. O’Brien Funeral Home, 24 Lincoln Ave., Forestville is assisting the family with the arrangements. To leave an online message of condolence, share a memory or a photo, please visit Catherine’s tribute page at www.OBRIEN-FUNERALHOME.com.

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