Obituary of Kathaleen O'Callahan

Kathaleen (Norton) O’Callahan, 70, of Burlington, MA, beloved wife of Dr. John C. O’Callahan, passed away after a brief illness (stroke)on October 21, 2010. Mrs. O’Callahan, was born in Cambridge, MA, March 24, 1940, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth Starke. She was a 1958 graduate of Sacred Heart High School, East Cambridge. She was a member of the Cambridge Caballeros, an award winning drum and bugle corps. Mrs. O’Callahan met her husband John and dear friends Eleanor, Steve, Carol, and Ike while in the Caballeros. Mrs. O’Callahan was a Eucharistic Minister at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church. She enjoyed oil painting, traveling and spending time with her family. Mrs. O’Callahan was an accomplished cook. She enjoyed a long career at Lord and Taylor as a supervisor in the Burlington cash office. Mrs. O’Callahan was the beloved wife of 50 years of Dr. John C. O’Callahan. She was the loving mother of Maureen O’Callahan of Acton, Kathaleen Hatfield & her husband Mark of Salem, NH, Janet O’Callahan & her spouse Joanne Sullivan of Amesbury,Paula Stanton & her husband Tom of Billerica Cherly Alfano & her husband Joe of Methuen. Daughter of Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Starke of Belmont formerly of Cambridge and the late Warren Norton. Sister of Susan Whitney of Belmont, Robert Starke of Fitchburg, Brian Starke of Marston Mills, and the late Paul Starke. Grandmother of Mark, Meaghan & Ryan Hatfield, Dennis Pothier, Sheila Beach, Jack & Molly Stanton, Zachary & Jacob Alfano. Great grandmother of Mitchell & Conor Beach Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Monday, Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Barbara’s Church, 138 Cambridge Road, Woburn at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Sunday 3-7 p.m. Interment will be private. Memorials in Kathaleen’s name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts Chapter, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472. Eulogy for Kathaleen O’Callahan October 25, 2010 Mom’s favorite time of the year was the Fall. So it is only fitting that she would choose this beautiful time of year to leave us. Yes, she is watching over us, but it is safe to say that she is also enjoying this beautiful view of the turning leaves from heaven. My mother’s sense of humor – I recall a time at Lahey when my mother went in for a procedure. When the doctor was reviewing the risk of death for this procedure and told her it was 1 in 10,000, she asked, “What number are you on?” While she accused my father of being full of blarney, my mother was clever with the words and puns herself. Another memory I recall was when my mother was the assistant coach for the my sister Janet’s softball team when She was nine years old. At one particular game, the coach was absent, so my mother took over as head not getting up to bat. By the fourth inning many of the girls noted they were not getting up to bat. So one of Janet’s teammates asked my mother, “When is it my turn to be up?” And Mom replied“ I can’t help it if the first three batters can’t get on base.” Mom wanted to give everyone a fair chance, but it didn’t help that she didn’t know the rules of the game- Janet, of course, was at the top of the batting order, so didn’t complain but the nine year old girl walked away completely confused. My mother’s love of holidays— the manger. One particular Christmas, my mother sewed us girls matching pajamas. My sisters and I were dressed in red and white checked nightgowns for Christmas Eve. We lined up in the kitchen at 39 Eugene Road for the Christmas Procession. I was Mary, Janet was Joseph, Paula and Cheryl took turns carrying the baby Jesus on a pillow. We marched from the kitchen to the living room to place baby Jesus in the manger that my mother arranged in the fireplace using her grandmother’s crèche. My mother loved the manger so much that there came a time when she did not take it down after the holidays, and to this day in the fireplace remains a nativity scene year-round. Mom’s love of the holidays was driven by her desire to be surrounded by her family. Growing up I remember that every Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and so-on was celebrated at 39 Eugene road. Mom’s sense of friendship- started all the way back to her days with the Cabelleros Drum and Bugle Corps as a young girl. We have many people sitting with us here today that have been friends with Mom most of her life. These friendships were so strong throughout the years that as they recently sat vigil by her side it became clear that they were more like family. Sully once said what he thought of mom and Dad- how they were the first to be boyfriend and girlfriend; the first to be engaged and first to be married. “A model couple for the younger Cabelleros” …many of whom have stayed married and are now approaching 50 years themselves. As I met a lot of Mom’s friends last night, many of whom she met during her 17 years working at Lord & Taylor, it warmed my heart to hear all the wonderful feelings people held towards my mother, and how many lives she had touched. What touched me the most was the thoughtful turnout by our neighbors of over 40 years. Even though they may have lost touch with mom in more recent years, the lasting bonds developed in the past were shown through their kind outreaches of food, flowers, and heart-felt condolences. My mother’s love of travel- she loved being Mrs. John O’Callahan. When She and Dad traveled to Dad’s IMAC conferences throughout the years it became tradition among the IMAC community to celebrate her birthday with cakes and singing. What made this funny was that her birthday usually didn’t coincide with the IMAC conferences- they just adored her so much that they looked for any reason to celebrate with, and for my mother. It got to the point that if Dad did not show up to the conference it would likely go un-noticed- however if Mom did not show everyone would be looking for “Mrs. O”Callahan.” Her other trips often included travel to Hawaii. The biggest highlight of her trips there was her opportunity to swim with the dolphins at the Sea Life Park in Honolulu. If you were to visit her home, she constructed a world map of the places she had visited. To see the amount of gold pins she placed to mark her travels, is an example of her accomplished drive to see the world. She had her own Bucket list, and was not only so fortunate and accomplished to have completed her life goals and fulfill her bucket list, she was able to repeat her favorites, such as visits to Hawaii and Ireland. Kathy was always prepared for where she was going- she wouldn’t go anywhere unless she had a reservation. When mom and dad were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary they traveled Europe for a couple weeks with their good friends Henry and Chris. Where Henry and Chris had visited Europe before, they were set to jump on a plane and see where they ended up. This did not sit well with mom, where she always needed to know where she was going sleep at night. So she took the liberty of reserving a hotel at each stop on their trip. So, with that being said, we can find peace in knowing that she has a reservation in heaven. Happy travels, Mom. She is Gone You can shed tears that she is gone Or you can smile because she has lived You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left Your heart can be empty because you can't see her Or you can be full of the love that you shared You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday You can remember her and only that she is gone Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.