Catherine (Maroulis) Guella

Cathy Guella (nee Maroulis) was born in Manhattan on January 28, 1941, and went home to God on February 28, 2024, at age 83.  She was a wonderful, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother affectionately known as Yiayia.

Cathy grew up with her family in Manhattan.  They moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1955.  The following summer, she met the love of her life, Joe, at the beach at Coney Island.  They discovered that she and Joe lived around the corner from each other.  Furthermore, their houses were actually back-to-back.

After she attended and graduated from Fort Hamilton High School, she and Joe were engaged in August 1959 and were married on September 3, 1960, while Joe was on leave from the US Army.  The plan was for Cathy to stay in New York and continue to work while Joe served in Virginia.  That plan lasted for about a month before she left her job to join him off the Army post, in a 19-foot trailer. The space was so small that in the bedroom, the full-sized bed occupied the whole room, so she had to kneel on top of the bed to change the sheets or make the bed.  They eventually moved to another location, into a larger two-bedroom trailer and made friends with other service people.  When Joe’s tour of duty ended, they moved back to Brooklyn and continued to enjoy their lives together.  Their first child, Joseph, was born in September 1963.  Then Cathy had twin boys in August 1967, but God called them before she got to meet them.  The loss was devastating for her, but she focused on her existing family.  Later she had John in October 1970 and then Jodi in December 1971.

Cathy took an active part in her children’s early education, from reading and working with them as preschoolers and later as an active PTA person.  She connected with people in her own personal way.  She loved spending time with her family and friends, especially when it grew to 3 children, 6 grandchildren and recently, 2 great grandchildren.

Cathy trained to become an electrologist.  She had a talent to help people feel comfortable and attracted a large following.  She loved being involved with and helping people, so when she moved to New Jersey, she enrolled in the first New Jersey State certified Senior Advocate program.  Upon completion, she routinely visited senior care homes to check on how the seniors were being treated.  While at the home, she took time to visit with the seniors individually to learn more about them, and to comfort them.

Cathy had some nice adventures travelling overseas with Joe on some of his business trips.  She was able to visit 8 different countries and multiple cities around the U.S.  She especially loved going to Florida.  At home, both in Westchester and in Chester, she loved to shop for bargains.

Cathy is survived by her devoted husband Joe, her loving children, and their spouses Joey (Theresa), John (Linda), and Jodi, grandchildren Megan (Matt), Brian, Katie (Tanner), Erin, Jasper, and JJ, her great grandchildren Oliver and Harbor, her brother Angelo (Cathy), her nieces and nephews, and her many friends who will miss her dearly.  She is now reunited with her parents and sister, and with her twin sons whom she never met while on this earth.

She is in heaven, her eyes aglow, watching us.  Thank all of you for your love and support during this difficult time.  In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, (https://www.stjude.org)  

SERVICES:

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 10:30 AM at St. Paul R. C. Church, 200 Wyckoff Ave, Ramsey, NJ. For those that cannot attend, the Mass will be live streamed. You can go to (https://www.stpaulrcchurch.org), go down to the middle of the page and click on livestream.  Inurnment will follow at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah. A repast will be held following the cemetery. 

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