Carherine Brassard

1927 - 2019

Catherine Marie Brassard
Catherine Marie (Cocchia) Brassard, age 91, passed away peacefully at her home in Norwalk on January 5. She was the daughter of William and Ethel (Kulscar) Cocchia.
Born on August 12, 1927, Cathy was a lifelong resident of Norwalk, growing up on Ely Avenue and attending Norwalk schools. Some of her teenage years were spent at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford where she made many friends during a convalescence from tuberculosis.
As a young woman, Cathy worked designing women's hats and then later in life at Roton Middle School cafeteria and MBI, retiring from there in 1997.
Cathy delighted in family gatherings, cooking, passing on recipes for traditional Hungarian pastries and Italian dishes, knitting, gardening, rooting for the NY Yankees, lunching at the South Norwalk Boat Club, and taking walks at Calf Pasture Beach and Shady Beach. In appreciation for kind deeds, she always offered one of her signature banana breads or walnut coffee cakes.
She is survived by a sister, Dolores (Cocchia) Muscara, of Belleville, NJ, and sons from her marriage to the late William E. Brassard, William E. Brassard Jr. and his partner, Andrea Zimmermann, of Newtown, Conn., and Marc A. Brassard and his wife, Ruth, also of Newtown. She also is survived by her beloved granddaughters, Kristen Brassard, and Kelly Brassard and fiancée Kory Kling, of Newtown, along with many nephews and a niece. She was predeceased by a daughter who died at birth and her eldest sister, Ida (Cocchia) DeFeo.
Known as a kind, gentle person, Cathy had a quick wit and made friends easily. She will be greatly missed by her family and dear friends.
Her family extends its appreciation to her home caregivers for their attentiveness and kindness.
Calling hours will be Thursday, January 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a service, at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT. Interment will be immediately following at Riverside Cemetery, 81 Riverside Avenue, Norwalk.