Catherine Hickner

Jan. 28, 1948 - July 18, 2009
NILES - Catherine Hickner died at the age of 61 in St. Luke's Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, July 18, 2009, from complications of an acute illness. Catherine was born January 28, 1948, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Mary and George Hickner of Andre Place, Notre Dame IN. She was the first of 13 children. She is survived by her parents; her daughter, Clare Martin Hickner, age 14; her four sisters and their husbands, Martha (John Floberg) of Minneapolis MN, Rosemary (Gerald LeClair) of Tempe, AZ , Ann (Brian Jagla) of South Bend, IN, and Patricia (Jojo Cayetano) of Pacifica, CA; and her eight brothers and their wives, Peter (Carol) of Seattle WA, John (Valerie) of Chicago, IL, Jim and Joe (Gail) of South Bend, IN, Paul (Paula) of Lexington, KY, Tom (Amy) of Victoria, TX, Bob (Meg) of Greenville, NC, and George Jr. (Jackie) of Mesa, AZ. Catherine attended Niles High School in Niles, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in French in 1969. She taught for two years at Ballard Junior High School in Niles before returning to the University of Michigan to obtain a master's degree in linguistics. She then moved to Barcelona, Spain, where she taught English for eight years. When she returned to the United States she obtained another master's degree in speech pathology from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. She then moved to New York where she worked for 22 years as an administrative assistant and coordinator of continuing medical education at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute in New York City before retiring in Tempe, Arizona. Catherine had a love for opera, languages (she spoke French and Spanish fluently), international cuisine (especially Greek) and, above all, her amazing daughter, Clare. Catherine was considered a "second mother" by her younger brothers and sisters. She had a beautiful speaking voice and singing voice, full and resonating. She was an excellent swimmer. She had the most wonderful sense of humor and zest for life. Catherine was kind and respectful to all living things, and, at the end of the day, she gave more to this earth than she took from it. Mass and memorial services will take place at St. Joseph Chapel at Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana, on Saturday, August 8, at 12:30 p.m. Memorials in Catherine's honor should be made payable to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with the notation "In memory of Catherine Hickner" and mailed to Hugh B. Kelly, Annual Giving Officer, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 633 Third Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10017.