Obituary of Catherine Szymanski

Dansville- Cathy Szymanski passed away early Monday morning 10/5/20 at the age of 74 following a long bout with breast cancer. She was born Catherine Elizabeth Szymanski in Dansville NY on March 26, 1946, the daughter of the late Theodore and Helen Szymanski of Sparta. She grew up in Dansville, Harlingen TX and West Palm Beach FL with her 8 siblings. She was recently inducted into Dansville’s Hall of Fame with the rest of the cheerleading squad. She spent much time at Stony Brook State Park and is believed to be the first female life guard there. She received her B.A. in Education at Texas Women’s University in Denton TX, where she played field hockey & tennis, swam and participated in beauty pageants. She went on to join the American Airlines flight team in 1972, back when they were still called stewardesses. She was based in New York City for a short time and then San Francisco CA, places she loved. She distinguished herself for 48 years at American Airlines. She played in tennis tournaments representing American Airlines and air ballooned in the great SouthWest with teams of co-workers. She snow skied many Rocky Mountain resorts. She loved visiting Africa & Europe. She flew several times on the great Concorde airship. She won 7 service awards and saved three people’s lives performing CPR over her career. Her commitment to work culminated in her induction into the American Airlines Hall of Fame in 2017. She was the heart and soul of not only our immediate family but also of our extended family, reaching out to everyone to keep us all connected. Our Grandmother saw this depth of caring in her at an early age and so dubbed her our “Golden Angel”. Cathy made great friendships, not only locally, but throughout the United States. The vacuum that she leaves will be hard to fill … she was that special! Cathy is survived by one sister, Judith Szymanski (Rochester NY); 5 brothers, Bob and Lori Szymanski (Arkport); Dan Szymanski (Sparta NY); Jim and Donna Szymanski (Henrietta NY); Ron Szymanski and Dr. Polly Cator (Freeville NY); Charles Szymanski and Kerri Vaughn (Sparta NY); sister-in-law Sandi Szymanski (Livonia NY). Also, by her beloved nieces and nephews, Doug and Angela Szymanski (Ontario NY); Jeff Szymanski & Penny Gascoyne (Rochester NY); Veronica, Naomi and Noble Cator-Szymanski (Freeville NY). And her dear grand-niece Samantha Dey (Rochester NY) and 2 grand-nephews Nathanael Szymanski (Ontario NY) and Ayden Szymanski-Koontz (Livonia). Pre-deceased are her Father Theodore (1987), her mother Helen (2010) and her brother Theodore Jr (2008). Friends may call Friday, October 16th, 2020 at the Hindle Funeral Home Inc. 271 Main St. Dansville, from 4:00-7:00 PM. Masks required, and social distancing will be enforced. A requiem mass will be said for Cathy at St. Mary’s catholic church in Dansville on Saturday, 11:00 AM, 10/17, with internment at the Keihle Cemetery immediately following. Due to the Covid Pandemic a memorial celebration will be held when social gatherings become safe. In Lieu of Flowers please make memorial donations to: SAGE Patient Advocates 12515 Semillon Boulevard San Diego, CA 92131