Shirley Kathan

Loving Wife, Mother and Grandmother

Shirley Kathan of Prospect passed away on Saturday, April 3, 2021 at Waterbury Hospital.  She was the beloved wife of Charles A. Kathan for more than 63 years.  Shirley was born November 14, 1936 in Waterbury, the daughter of the late Leroy and Agnes (VanVlandren) Fuller.

Shirley was a graduate of Naugatuck High School and of the Waterbury Hospital School of Nursing.  She was a registered nurse and worked at Waterbury Hospital for many years and then United Cerebral Palsy in Waterbury, Family Eyecare in Naugatuck and a dental office in Naugatuck over the span of her career.  Shirley loved to receive flowers and to grow them in her garden.  Gardening, reading and doing crossword puzzles were her favorite pastimes.  She was a longtime member of the Prospect Congregational Church.  The center of Shirley’s life was her family; her husband, children and granddaughters. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren and loved them very much.  Shirley will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Besides her loving husband Charlie, Shirley is survived by her son Stephen Kathan and wife Julia, of Wyckoff, New Jersey; daughter Kathy Altemose and husband Gary, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and granddaughters Sarah Kathan of Charleston, South Carolina, and Alison Purvis and husband Abe, of Greenwood, Indiana.   Other survivors include cousins Teena Osgood and husband Tracy, of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts; Holly Evans and husband Tom of Waterbury; and Gary VanVlandren and wife Jeanne, of Durham, North Carolina.

The Kathan family thanks the doctors, nurses and staff of the Waterbury Hospital ICU for their recent care of Shirley.

A Graveside Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 1 pm at Prospect Cemetery 1 Union City Road, Prospect, Rev. Lynne Dolan officiating.  Those attending are asked to meet directly at the cemetery.  All current guidelines regarding COVID-19 will be strictly adhered to. Prospect Memorial Funeral Home is honored to be assisting Shirley’s family during this difficult time.  For directions, to share a memory or words of comfort, please visit www.prospectmemorial.com

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