Catherine (Squadrito) Walker died Sunday, October 2, 2011 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital after a courageous battle with congestive heart failure. She was born March 25, 1915 in Mystic, CT where she lived with her mother, Ella (Stoetzel) Squadrito Berry and her Italian immigrant father, Cornelius Squadrito who owned a local barbershop.
It’s Mystic, CT that Catherine called home for the next 96 years. She went to Broadway School in Stonington CT where she excelled in English and composition. At this time she also began to learn the piano which, aside from her family, became her life’s passion.
She met John Walker on a blind date and immediately knew he was “the one.” They married 4 months later on May 26, 1945 and were happily married for 54 years. Along with their one and only beloved child, Karen Walker, they enjoyed many happy years traveling, enjoying the coastal New England life and sharing their passion for music. Catherine shared the gift of music to hundreds of local children with whom she taught piano over a span of 50 years, just recently stopping at the age of 94.
She had a fierce spirit and sense of optimism even in light of chronic illness these last several years. She leaves behind her greatest love; her family. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Walker, of Mystic; two granddaughters Lauren Dubuque and Jaclyn Dubuque of Stonington and Mystic, as well as twin sisters: Hermine Dudda of Mystic and Ernestine Hoeflein of PA in addition to nieces, nephews, as well as hundreds of former piano students whose lives she touched with the gift of music. She will be missed.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church, East Main Street, Mystic on Thursday at 10am. Burial will follow in Elm Grove Cemetery. There are no visiting hours.
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