CATHRYN S. ROBERTSON
1946-2023

Cathie Robertson, beloved wife for 53 years of Peter Robertson, passed away on May 16th after a prolonged illness. In addition to her husband, she leaves her dear brother Gordon Seibert of Holladay, Utah, numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws, many friends, and her dog Leo. Cathie was predeceased by her parents, Si and Ginny Seibert, and by her brother, Jim Seibert. 

Cathie grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Michigan State University. After working in child care for a number of years, she obtained a master’s degree from Wheelock College. 

Cathie spent more than 30 years working as a teacher, co-director, and director of the Devotion Primary Extended Day Program, a recreationally focused after-school program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade at the former Edward Devotion School (now called the Florida Ruffin Ridley School), a public K-8 school in Brookline, MA. The work enthralled her, allowing her to interact with more than 100 bright and engaging children and to lead and mentor a group of highly talented and dedicated staff members. She made a number of life-long friends among the after-school teachers and the school personnel. 

Cathie was an adventurous and inveterate traveler and loved the couple’s trips to Peru, Mexico, Belize, Italy, Guatemala, Peru, the Yucatan, and numerous Caribbean islands, among other places. In the Yucatan and Guatemala, she was always willing to climb to the top of the highest temples, inching up and down the dangerously steep steps (now closed off to climbing due to people falling to their deaths). On Cathie and Peter’s numerous trips to Belize for snorkeling, she befriended a snorkel guide at their favorite island resort, who showed her how to be an excellent spotter and identifier of reef fish. Cathie and Peter also traveled regularly to Italy, spending much of their time in Tuscany. There, she became a good friend of the owner of a very large villa in the Tuscan countryside. 

Throughout her life, Cathie was a collector of many things. She started with Christmas ornaments, which she acquired on trips to South and Central America, Europe, and at artisan shows around New England. All are carefully stored in labeled boxes. Cathie loved collecting sharks’ teeth along the beaches of the west coast of Florida, as well as sea shells she found in Florida and the Caribbean. That was also true with the sand from beaches everywhere she and Peter traveled. Once when returning from Florida, TSA stopped her to inspect the sand she had in her carryon bag. Cathie also collected large rocks from beaches in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for her rock garden, which were used to surround her magnificent collection of hosta plants. She spent hours each day during the summer caring for her hostas and the yard.

After retiring, Cathie became an even more serious practitioner of yoga and enjoyed going on yoga retreats for many years to Jamaica with her favorite niece. 

Please register below for the virtual celebration of Cathie’s life taking place 1:00pm EDT, Saturday, July 22, 2023. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Cathie’s memory may be made via the donations section below.