** Update as of 03/17/2020- Saint John's The Apostle Church has informed us that they will only allow up to 10 family members in the church during service, on Saturday March 21, 2020. Colonial Funeral Home is also following the CDC suggestion of allowing only 10 people for the wake on Friday March 20, 2020 at 6:00pm.

*DUE TO THE CORONOVIRUS OUTBREAK WE ARE FOLLOWING ALL CDC RECOMMENDATIONS AND HAVE APPLIED IT TO OUR FUNERAL HOME.  WE ARE LIMITING OUR VISITATIONS TO IMMEDIATE FAMILY ONLY.  IF YOU ARE SICK OR SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF THE VIRUS PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND!  AS OF TODAY'S DATE SAINT JOHN'S CATHOLIC CHURCH IS STILL HOLDING MASS AS PUBLISHED IN THE OBITUARY.

Catherine Callahan Obituary

Catherine "Cathy" Conway Callahan, 91, passed away on Tuesday, March 11, 2020 in Fountain Hills, Arizona surrounded by family.

Cathy was born on July 21, 1928 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, the only child of Jack B. Conway and Edith E. (Ryan) Conway. After spending her childhood in Maine, she attended Regis College in Massachusetts and received her BA in Economics in 1950. She spent many years in Boston and Washington, DC working for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company as their first female underwriter. In 1957, she met and married James Callahan in Boston, Massachusetts. They moved to Virginia and raised their five children over several decades in "Section One" of Sterling, Virginia.  As her children got older, Cathy went back to school with the desire to start a small business.  She and her best friend, Pat Richardson, as two female entrepreneurs jointly opened Callahan-Richardson Associates, specializing in tax preparation. What started as a business on Pat's kitchen table, flourished to an office suite on East Holly (thanks to Terry Dugan for his years of support and friendship) with many clients in downtown Sterling. They eventually closed their business and retired after nearly 30 years of operations.

Her children are grateful for the fact that Cathy was patient, never critical or judgmental, flexible, and never complained. Throughout her life, Cathy also valued and supported education for herself, her husband, children and grandchildren. She was an active member of the Democratic Party, campaigning for women for the Board of Supervisors and volunteering with women's organizations in Loudoun County. Cathy remained a resident of Loudoun County until 2016 when health issues caused her to move to Fountain Hills, AZ near her daughter, Doris.

Cathy loved to spend time with her family and friends, especially at Higgins Beach, ME. Throughout her life, she enjoyed travelling.  She frequently travelled around the country to visit family and friends. And many of her favorite adventures with Jim and (later Patricia Richardson) found her in countries around the globe. Cathy's most recent trip took her to Durham, NC as the guest of honor with her family to celebrate her 90 ^th birthday.

Cathy Callahan was preceded in death by her husband of 34 years, James Callahan in 1991. Cathy is survived by daughters, Margaret Mazzarella and husband Tom of Denver, Colorado; Joan Rachelson of Northville, Michigan; Doris McClay and husband Phil of Fountain Hills, Arizona and sons; Jack Callahan and wife Susan of Chocowinity, North Carolina, and David Callahan and wife Maria of Leesburg, Virginia: as well as 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren: Paul, Brian, Michael, Meredith, Tara, Yvan Francys, Taylor, Melissa, Diego, Emily, Ian, and Allison as well as great-grandchildren, Isabelle, Katelyn,  James, Austin, and Luna.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Fountain View Village in Arizona for their care and compassion during Cathy's residency in Fountain View Village.

As Cathy greatly admired Eleanor Roosevelt, this quote reflects part of Cathy's philosophy. "I am convinced that every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is sure: If they don't make up their minds, someone will do it for them."

Services

Visiting hours will be held on Friday 3/20 from 6pm-8pm at Colonial Funeral Home, 201 Edwards Ferry Road NE, Leesburg, Virginia; Funeral Mass on Saturday 3/21 at 10:30 am at St John the Apostle Catholic Church, 101 Oakcrest Manor Dr, Leesburg, Virginia.  Interment immediately following service at Sterling Cemetery.  Online condolences may be expressed to the family at info@colonialfuneralhome.com .  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Business Women of Loudoun Committee, https://www.loudounchamber.org/business-women-of-loudoun/ Loudoun Library Foundation https://library.loudoun.gov/LLF (Leesburg, VA), or a charity of your choice.