Obituary of Marjorie K. Catto

Marjorie Katherine Catto, 94, a Vineland resident, died peacefully of natural causes, on Thursday, June 2, 2016 surrounded by her family. Born in Brooklyn, NY on January 8, 1922, she was the daughter of Frank and Mary Thalken. Frank was originally a Nebraskan rancher, and Mary was part of the Brooklyn Hahn family that ran bathhouses on Coney Island, NY. During the Great Depression the family moved to Vineland so Frank could take advantage of the booming chicken farming industry. Mary, became a nurse, and passed onto Marjorie her independent thinking and spirit, both of which she took great pride in throughout her life. Marge was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School, Class of 1940, where she was a standout athlete and top scorer on the girls' championship-winning basketball team. Injury stopped her from going on to play basketball at college, but she retained her great interest in sports throughout her life, swimming, bowling, and continuing to play golf into her eighties. On November 26, 1942, she married Gregory Catto. They had two children, Gregory, Jr., and Robert, and although quite uncommon for the time, she simultaneously raised her children and partnered with her husband and brother-in-law in the forming and managing of a family business, Thomas Gregg & Co. Their business provided wholesale candy and tobacco to many of the bygone mom-and-pop stores throughout South Jersey until its sale in 1990. She survived the tragic losses of both Robert and Gregory Sr. in 1995. In 1996, she met Loren Riggins, Jr., who became her life partner until his death in 2010. She was very active in the Vineland community, volunteering at Newcomb Medical Center until its closing, and later helping to raise funds for the revitalization and renovation of the Landis Theater. She was known for being feisty and hardworking, as well as a very liberal and generous woman who was always modern and fresh in her thinking. Her fondest memories were from summers spent with family at her beach house in Sea Isle City, N.J. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Gregory and JoAnn Catto; two grandchildren and their spouses, Kimberly Catto Gregg and Robert Gregg, Sean Catto and MaryAnn Kahoe Catto; and fittingly, four feisty great-granddaughters: Laura Catto Bylone, Amanda Catto Bylone, Sydney Catto, and Leah Catto. A Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11am at Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, Sacred Heart Church 1010 E Landis Ave., Vineland. Marjorie will be laid to rest at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Vineland. Family and friends will be received on Tuesday morning from 10am to 10:45am at the church. Arrangements are by DeMarco-Luisi Funeral Home 2755 S. Lincoln Ave., Vineland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.christopherreeve.org (Spinal Cord Research) or Alzheimer's Association, Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market St., Suite 102 Philadelphia, Pa., 19106.