Catherine Cummings Park

Catherine (Cathy) Cummings Park passed away peacefully on May 30, 2021. Cathy was predeceased by an infant son, her parents George and Margaret Park, and the love of her life Salvatore Nicolosi. She was devoted and loyal to her family and friends and is survived by her children, Sharon Klock, Teresa and her husband Philip Linde, Thomas and his wife Laurie Nicolosi, and Christine and her husband Alex Gargano. She loved being a grandmother and gave her grandchildren a lifetime of loving memories, Grace Gargano, Victoria Linde Palmeroni, Alexander Linde and his wife Catherine Dinh-Le, Natalia Nicolosi, and Salvatore Nicolosi. In 2015 her face lit up with joy as she got to hold her two-week old great grandson, Vincent Palmeroni. It is hard to sum up the life of such a woman in just a few paragraphs. Born in 1932 in Glasgow, Scotland with a large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins she loved, she survived a childhood that included bombings of her city and being part of a mass evacuation to the English countryside. Still, she emerged as a fun-loving, independent young woman who loved to go out to the dance palaces with her friends. She moved to the U.S. in the early 1950s and settled in New Jersey, working for Revlon and Gordon’s Gin, where she met many of her life-long friends. Cathy was stunning and always stylish, with a seemingly inexhaustible love for life; she seemed to know every word to every song, could dance to all of them – and would! She always kept a bit of her Scottish accent, and her children knew when she had just called “home” (which always meant Scotland) or when she was angry, because that was when it really came out. In the early 1960s Cathy met her soulmate, Salvatore Nicolosi, and they settled in Staten Island. With her beautiful face, dark hair, and bright blue eyes, he nicknamed her “the poor man’s Elizabeth Taylor”. They were each other’s best friend and shared a loving relationship filled with laughter, travel, and a love for their children and grandchildren. After Sal died, Cathy retired to S. Pasadena, Florida, enjoying the beach and sunshine she loved so much. In 2015 she moved back to New Jersey and was able to participate in many holidays and family milestone celebrations with her children and grandchildren, including attending Victoria’s baby shower in upstate NY and Alexander’s college graduation in NYC. Her youngest daughter, Christine, became her primary caretaker always making sure she had a happy, high-quality life to the end and giving her many years of loving and fun times playing and dancing with her youngest grandchild, Grace, with whom she became very close. We would like to thank the staff at Brandywine in Howell, N.J. for their contributions to providing our mother with such incredible, personal, caring attention; she felt loved, and it showed in those blue eyes. The family has lost a bright light and source of constant love; we are all truly lucky to have had such a woman in our lives. To honor such a spirit there will be a private family remembrance and celebration of her life on her birthday in July. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in mom’s name to our team for the Alzheimer’s Association “Longest Day” fundraising effort. **To donate, please click to button towards the bottom of the page.**