Cathleen Drinan, 69, of Plymouth, Massachusetts passed away on December 11th after complications from smoke inhalation caused by a fire in her home.
She was born on April 12, 1952 in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of the late Edward and Barbara (Moynihan) Drinan.
One of eight children, she is survived by two sisters and four brothers: Edward Drinan, Carole Whelan, David Drinan, Michael Drinan, Elaine Murphy, and Paul Drinan. She is predeceased by her sister Marilyn Parsons.
A proud and loving mother and grandmother, she leaves behind five children, Marty Thornley, Kate Nicholson and her husband Jim, Renee Thornley and Rob McCarthy, Eric Thornley and wife Cait Sawicki, and Joanna Malone and her husband Matt as well as seven grandchildren Haley, Colin, Joey, Taryn, Anna, Abel, and Oliver. She is predeceased by her late son Keith Thornley.
Cathy was a brilliant and accomplished woman. She graduated from Weymouth High School in 1971, earned a Bachelor of Art in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and then a Master of Education in Public Health from Bridgewater State College.
For 20 years, Cathy served as the Health Agent for the Town of Halifax and was a soil evaluator and registered sanitarian. She was an avid columnist for the Halifax Reporter, publishing articles focused on public health awareness.
Cathy followed numerous paths as she pursued her passions of nature, photography, and art. As a teenager and young adult, she enjoyed solo camping and, throughout her life, frequently walked the woods and beaches of the South Shore. She created countless works of art in paint, pastel, and sculpture: many of them award-winning and displayed in local galleries.
She was also the originator and Director of the Docent Art Program for both Plympton and Halifax elementary schools for over 30 years, teaching volunteers to discuss fine art reproductions with children.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Funeral Services on Saturday December 18 at 10 a.m. at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, Plymouth Street, (Rte. 58 @ the rotary) Whitman, Massachusetts 02382. Visiting hours will be held Friday December 17th from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel.
Donations can be made in her name to either National Museum for Women in the Arts or the Massachusetts Audubon Society.