Catherine Teresa Harrison

Catherine Theresa (Cirillo) Harrison passed away peacefully of natural causes on Aug. 31. She was 88. She was born on May 1, 1927, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She met her U.S. Coast Guard husband, Willard (Bill), in 1946 at Coney Island. They were married on Aug. 30, 1947, so their 68th wedding anniversary was one day before she passed away.

Bill and Cathy raised six boys (Willard Jr., Dennis, John, Paul, Glen (deceased) and Michael) while Bill was having a career in the Coast Guard. They moved to Astoria from Cordova, Alaska, to accept an assignment on the cutter Yocona in late 1961 and bought property in the Walluski area, where they still live. Her husband, five sons, 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren survive her. She was very proud of her family.

After Bill retired from the Coast Guard, Cathy started a new career at 45, filleting fish at different canneries around Astoria. She worked well into her 70s, and really enjoyed the work and all the people she worked with, maintaining those friendships well past retirement.

Cathy was known as an incredible cook. Her meals were well known and all her sons’ friends were welcome to sit down to whatever she prepared. Everything was from scratch! She really was a 20th century pioneer, living off the land on the Walluski farm. Cathy also was a very sociable lady, and had many friends in Astoria.

There will be no services, per Cathy’s request. The family has asked that any remembrances be in the form of donations to www.standup2cancer.org in her name. Cathy survived breast cancer in 1986.