Catherine Porter "Cathy" Vannicola

1945 - 2025

Catherine "Cathy" Porter Vannicola

Barneveld,NY

Catherine "Cathy" Porter Vannicola, 80, passed away peacefully at home after a prolonged illness with family by her side on March 10, 2025. She was born in Buffalo, NY, on February 15, 1945 to Catherine E. Van Aernem Porter and Burton Nicholas Porter. She grew up on the family farmhouse in Corfu, NY. She began her college studies at the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1962 on a New York State Regents scholarship where she was active in the Baptist Student Fellowship. She went on to receive a Bachelor's degree in history from Utica College. She met her first husband, Richard Lubin at SUNY Geneseo and they were married in 1963. They had one son. They moved briefly to Oklahoma and then on to Rome, NY where she taught elementary school in the Vernon Verona School District and then later worked as a bank teller at Oneida National Bank in Rome, NY. She went on to meet Vincent Vannicola who later became her second husband in 1976 with whom she had 3 more children. Upon her second marriage Cathy became a step mother to Vincent's 4 daughters. Cathy was a dedicated wife and mother to all her children and step children alike. She was an avid gardener and homemaker. She was an excellent chef, preparing many holiday and family meals from scratch for her many children and 16 grandchildren. Cathy was a real do-it-yourselfer, feeding her family from her large vegetable garden, baking bread from scratch, and canning and freezing her fresh produce for year-round use. Cathy spent many summers of her life backpacking, hiking, camping, and traveling with her family. She hiked many mountains in the Adirondacks and White Mountains. Cathy loved animals including her many cats, dogs, pet rat, gerbils, and a rabbit that she cherished over the years.

Cathy was a devoted Christian and was active in both St. Leo's Catholic Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Holland Patent. Cathy was raised Baptist, practiced as a Presbyterian for many years, and converted to Catholicism later in life. She became a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church where she was a lector and a eucharistic minister. Cathy maintained an ecumenical outlook and continued to be active in both of her local churches. She had been a member of the First Presbyterian Church for many years where she was very passionate about both adult and children's Christian education. Her deep faith, and a scholarly instinct, impelled her to undertake a deep study of the Bible and religious history. She immersed herself in the fine points of Greek and Hebrew vocabulary, carefully poring over the critical annotations of various translations, and reading deeply in theological and exegetical literature. These studies informed her avocation as a lay religious teacher in her churches. She was Chair of the Christian Ed Committee for many years. In that role, she organized the weekly Children & Worship program, laid out lesson plans for Sunday school teachers Montessori style using wooden figurines and even wrote some of the Christmas pageants over the years. For children's education, she contributed a lot of the background legwork for Sunday school lesson planning. In addition to this, she was an avid member of Presbyterian Women for many years, maintained the Current Events bulletin board, and wrote in depth articles in the Twin Churches Monthly Newsletter. She was also a member of the Good News Foundation in Utica, NY. Prior to moving to Holland Patent, she had been a member of the Presbyterian Church in Rome, NY.

Cathy is survived by her husband, Dr. Vincent C. Vannicola of Barneveld. Her children Timothy Lubin (Laure) of Lexington, VA, Katie Vannicola of Utica, NY, James Vannicola (Megan) of Whitesboro, NY, Mary Vannicola (Sven) of Stavanger, Norway and step daughters Elizabeth Vannicola (Eddie) of Queens, NY, Suzanne Ahlf (John) of Orangeburg, NY, Valerie Bradley (Bob) of Niskayuna, NY, and Cynthia Cordes (John) of Morrisonville, NY. She is also survived by 16 grandchildren and multiple great grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her parents Burton Nicholas Porter and Catherine E. Van Aernem Porter, her younger sister Jane Porter, and her first husband Richard Lubin.

Her Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, March 14, 2025, at 10:00 AM at St. Leo's & St. Ann Catholic Church 7939 Elm St Holland Patent. Interment will be in the spring in Holland Patent Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to call on Thursday March 13, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Dimbleby Funeral Homes Inc. 40 Main St Whitesboro.

In lieu of flowers please consider donations to Hospice and Palliative Care of New Hartford, The First Presbyterian Church of Holland Patent, or St. Leo's Church in Holland Patent.

For online expressions of sympathy please go to www.dimblebyfh.com