CATHERINE M. NEUBERT

CATHERINE M. (KAY) NEUBERT SOUTH BURLINGTON - Catherine Marie (Kay) Neubert of South Burlington died on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Fletcher Allen Health Care of heart failure. Kay was born on Oct. 5, 1928 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the only child of August and Frieda Offermann. After finishing high school and a business course, she worked at New York Life Insurance Company in New York City. In 1950, she married U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Ernest Neubert. After he was killed in a plane crash in 1954, Kay moved to Vermont with her two small daughters to be near Air Force friends at the base at Fort Ethan Allen. By the time the base closed, Kay had fallen in love with Vermont and decided to raise her children here, settling in South Burlington. In Burlington, Kay worked first at the Nationwide Insurance Company and later as a legal secretary. In the 1960s, '70s and '80s she was very active in community affairs. She was a co-founder of Education News, a newsletter focused on improving South Burlington's schools. An interest in zoning and planning issues led her to run for the South Burlington City Council, to which she was the first woman elected. She represented South Burlington with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Kay was also a committed activist in the Democratic Party. She served a term as chairman of South Burlington's Democratic Committee and campaigned energetically over the years for many candidates at the local, state, and national level. Until health problems slowed her down, Kay was an enthusiastic antique collector. She was also a master gardener whose flower beds brought beauty to her neighborhood. Kay is survived by her daughters, Trudy Neubert of South Burlington and Nancy Neubert of Arlington, Va.; by her son-in-law, Jim Swigert; and by her grandsons, Michael and Peter Swigert. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011 at 4 p.m. at the Ready Funeral & Cremation Service South Chapel, 261 Shelburne Rd., Burlington. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday from 3 p.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be at a later date in the Long Island National Cemetery. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.readyfuneral.com.