Catherine F. Casavant

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of Catherine “Kay” Casavant. Kay passed at her home on Tuesday, December 4th after many years of battling dementia. She was 87.

Kay leaves behind her cherished husband, George of 60 years as well as her children and their spouses Amy Casavant and Paul Canfield, Chris and Donna Casavant, Kevin Casavant and his late wife, Janice. She had six beautiful grandchildren Braeden and Gwyneth Canfield; Lauren, Connor, Jacob and Rachel Casavant who will miss her loving smile whenever she saw them.

Kay was born on March 6th, 1936, in Newmarket, New Hampshire to Frances and Bert Allen. She was the second oldest of six children. She is predeceased by her sister Mae Phillips of Hudson, NH and Bruce Allen of Epping, NH. Kay leaves behind her sister June Gangwer of Madbury, NH and brothers John Allen of Newmarket, NH and Frank Allen of Epping, NH.

Kay grew up on a dairy farm where she was her father’s attentive assistant. She would wake early and work late to help feed and milk the cows, making sure to avoid kitchen duties with her mom and sisters. When she wasn’t doing her farm work one could find her in the attic or in a field where she would be perfecting her drawing skills. It was her love of animals and the farm where she lived that were her favorite subjects. Kay’s passion for art and all things creative led her to the University of New Hampshire where she took classes in art, design and teaching. Kay pursued all avenues to enrich her education which included summer courses in California and Europe. She graduated in 1959 and decided to leave her beloved New Hampshire for an opportunity to teach art for the Glens Falls school system in upstate New York. Kay embraced her new job and took on many volunteer projects with the local theater program, designing and painting sets. She also continued to work in several mediums at the same time enjoying oil painting, pottery and sketching. While in NY she met her husband, George, at the screening of an art film. Despite Kay’s enlistment of George to dig for clay in a local stream for her pottery, he fell for her.

Kay wed George on August 17th, 1963. They had a cute little house right under a billboard in Glens Falls. Kay would often mention she never needed a nightlight in that house! In 1968, Kay, George and their daughter Amy moved to New Jersey. Kay didn’t even have a chance to see the house before George bought it. Luckily, George was smart enough to find a rural location where Kay could have a family and a mini farm. Her goal was to have milking cows but luckily, she settled for a few goats, chickens, cats and an occasional raccoon or hamster.

In New Jersey, Kay went on to have two more children, Christopher and Kevin. While being a full-time mom and creative advisor to her kids she took on many volunteer projects at the Flemington Presbyterian Church, her children’s classrooms, the PTA and the library. She also was a substitute teacher for many years. There really wasn’t anything she wouldn’t volunteer for, except perhaps making dinner, that was left to George most of the time.

Once her kids got a bit older, she decided to go back to her first love, teaching. In 1982 she became the Art teacher at Delaware Township School for Kindergarten to 8th Grade; her favorite age children to teach. Kay was so enthusiastic about teaching that the local police would often stop by and knock on her classroom window to tell her it was time to go home. She always burned the midnight oil to make sure the pottery kiln was fired, submissions for art competitions were sent out on time or the classroom was prepared for the next day. In 1985, Kay’s hard work paid off and she was the first teacher to be awarded the NJ Governor’s Teacher of the Year at Delaware Township School. While teaching at DTS, Kay continued to volunteer to spread her love of the arts. She presented her Antique Crayon Method to the Art Educators of NJ workshops and was a leader in the Art Education community. She participated in Art Goes to the School and was an active member in Arts Bridge and the Printmaking Council of NJ. She influenced and encouraged many students throughout her long career.

After 21 years at DTS, in June of 2003, Kay retired. Kay’s retirement was just the start of attending to all the things she was too busy to do while working full time. Kay loved teaching so much she continued to volunteer in the art room weekly for the next 10 years, mentoring students along the way. She continued to work on her own creations and liked to collaborate with local artists in other mediums such as glassblowing, pottery, printmaking and oil pastels. Kay and George were big supporters of the Lambertville Shad Festival where Kay donated several of her posters throughout the years. She also volunteered for many years as a baker with George for the Thanksgiving in the Country House Tours throughout Delaware Township.

Kay delighted in teaching and incorporating art into her daily life. There was not a yogurt cup, styrofoam tray or sponge that could not be useful for some sort of art project. In fact, her family would sometimes find frozen birds, retrieved from a murderous cat, in the freezer. Kay would study the birds to make sure her paintings were complete in exacting detail. The family got used to it, but the neighborhood kids were likely scarred for life.

She surrounded herself with her own creations as well as those of other artists; she found beauty in everything. She was a kind soul who would light up when discussing or participating in anything creative. She loved to do “art projects” with her grandchildren and anyone else she could rope in. Her bright, inspirational light will be missed by all who knew her.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, December 18th at 12:00 PM at the Flemington Presbyterian Church, 10 East Main St, Flemington NJ. Light snacks will be served afterwards. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations for a scholarship in the arts can be made to: Jim Hamilton Shad Festival Scholarship Fund, in care of the Greater Lambertville Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 210 Lambertville, NJ 08530.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ 08822.

For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com. Written condolences can be sent to George in care of Chris & Donna Casavant at 23 Meszaros Road, Stockton, NJ 08559.