SOUTH PORTLAND- Catherine Ellen (Talasco) Pride, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, died peacefully in her sleep on April 9th. Cathy was born in Bangor, Maine, to Ethel and Leonard Talasco. Daughter of a shipbuilder, Cathy grew up in Bath, Maine, attending Bath schools, graduated from Morse High School in 1959.
Following high school, she attended and graduated from nursing school at Shepard-Gill School of Nursing on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts. As a nurse, she spent the majority of her career as an emergency room nurse at Osteopathic Hospital of Maine, Portland.
She met the love of her life when she worked summers as the camp nurse at Camp Sebago, the Salvation Army camp on Sebago Lake. Cathy and Doug were married in 1962.
The Prides raised their two children, Doug and Suellen, in Cumberland Center. Totally devoted as a wife and mother, her family meant everything to her. She attended her kids’ swim meets for decades. She was their most loyal fan. She was never so happy as when she had a house full of kids for whom she could make pancakes or whoopie pies. She also never missed a soccer game or freestyle football performance by her grandson, Patrick.
Cathy was the quintessential homemaker. She took great pleasure in gardening and caring for their property. Blue hydrangeas thrived in her care. She was a meticulous housekeeper, and she enjoyed cooking. So many family meals took place in the home they lived in for 55 years. Hugely important to her was having the entire family gathered together at the homestead for every holiday and many weekends throughout the year.
Always fashionably dressed, she loved shopping, particularly at Talbot’s.
A huge Red Sox fan, she knew the players and the game inside and out. She rarely missed a televised game, and she attended a number of them at Fenway Park. A highlight was attending the 2019 raising of the World Series banner during opening day ceremonies and game with her son.
She loved dogs and, in particular, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, especially her Fenway. Nantucket Island held a special place in her heart, and she and Doug enjoyed flying there for getaways in his Piper Arrow. The Samoset and the Bethel Inn were also favorite destinations.
On their 40th anniversary, the family celebrated with a trip to Bermuda. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the whole family took a fantastic trip to Italy. She loved to travel and enjoyed trips to England, Quebec, and other places.
Cathy volunteered weekly at the Ronald McDonald House for years and was honored at a gala event for her service. She attended the famous Morse High School class reunions all her life. She was a member of the Cumberland Investment Association, formed with several other couples who were friends. She was a member of the Salvation Army Corps in Bath and a member of the Congregational Church in Cumberland.
Always a woman who took care of her health, she managed her cancer and her Parkinson’s with grace and courage.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, H. Douglas Pride, a former resident of Cumberland, currently living in South Portland. She is also survived by her son, Doug (Becky) Pride of Falmouth, and her daughter, Suellen (Michael) Shaw, and her grandson, Patrick Shaw of North Yarmouth; her sister-in-law, Judy Nicholson, and her niece, Judy Marie de Grandpre (Scott Clark), and her nephews, Gerard (Kerry Kuriger) and Jean Guy de Grandpre.
The family would like to thank Hospice of Southern Maine for their tender and loving presence and their constancy as they took care of Cathy as she transitioned from this life.
There will be a celebration of life at the Congregational Church in Cumberland on Saturday, April 26th, at 2 pm, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to: The Salvation Army, P. O. Box 3647, Portland, ME 04104
Arrangements have been entrusted to Poitras Funeral Homes, www.mainefuneral.com