12/20/1926 – 3/5/2020
Catherine Sepe, age 93, of Carmel, NY passed away on March 5, 2020 surrounded by her loving family. She is predeceased by her beloved husband Peter (Pietro) as well as all of her siblings. She is survived by her children Orsolina, Gennaro (Leslie), Marie, Ralph and Peter. She was the beloved grandmother of Lauren, Lindsey, Lucas and Jacob. She also had a very close relationship with, and along with her sister Frances, helped raise her nephew Gennaro (Carolyn) and her niece Marie Frances. She was delighted to be thought of as “another grandmother” to their children , Melissa (Louie), Anthony (Sarah), Stephanie, Stevie, Carly and Meredith (Mike) and Olivia. She was an Aunt, Grand Aunt and Great Grand Aunt to so many here in the United States, and also in the family’s town of origin, Afragola, Italy.
Catherine was second to the youngest of a large family born to Maria and Ralph Ianniello on December 20, 1926 in Mt. Vernon, NY. One of ten siblings, she was thought of as a loving and supportive sister. She went by the nickname “Dolly” after her older siblings thought she was as “pretty as a doll” as a baby. She learned and loved all the homemaking skills of cooking, baking, sewing, fashion designing, knitting, crocheting, food preserving, and even wine making. Catherine also learned and perfected innumerable southern Italian recipes from her mother and sisters and delighted in teaching them to the younger generations. She moved to Pelham, NY with her mother and sister Frances after graduating from Davis High School in Mt Vernon, NY. She worked as a cartographer at the Sanborn Map Company until she married Peter in 1955. Catherine raised her family in North Pelham until she and Peter moved their family to Carmel, NY in 1983. In her new home, she proudly welcomed large gatherings of family for Sunday and Holiday dinners in her long wished for large, beautiful kitchen and dining room.
She made her new home in Carmel her own in so many ways. She got to know neighbors, local store owners, and the town librarian. She relished in decorating every room of her home. She delighted in all of the aspects of nature that her large yard offered and even painstakingly replanted woodland violets closer to her kitchen window so she could look out and enjoy them. Later, into her eighties, and despite the need for a walking stick, she energetically hiked the nearby woodland trails with her grandsons when they came to visit for the holidays.
Family was everything for her and she joyfully welcomed multiple generations of babies into the family. She was so happy to be invited to help out in her nieces’ childcare service, and enjoyed being called Aunt or Grandma Dolly by those children also.
She will be so greatly missed by all who knew, admired, and loved her.
Visitation will be held Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 1:00 to 5:00pm at Cargain Funeral Homes, Inc. in Carmel, NY.
A Funeral Mass will be 10:00am, Monday, March 9, 2020 at St. James the Apostle Church, 14 Gleneida Ave, Carmel, NY.
Interment will immediately follow at Raymond Hill Cemetery, 165 NY-52, Carmel, NY.
In lieu of flowers, if you so wish, please donate to one of Catherine’s favorite charities, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital by visiting www.stjude.org or mailing your donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105