Catherine “Cathy” (Sobin) Szanto
August 16, 1956 - August 23, 2022
Beloved family leader and community volunteer. On August 23, 2022, Catherine “Cathy” (Sobin) Szanto, beloved wife of Richard Szanto, and devoted mother of Katie Szanto, of Southbury, CT, passed away at the age of 66 after a short but courageous battle with cancer. Her infectious smile and giving nature will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Generous and kind, Cathy devoted herself to her community, family, and friends. She was an avid volunteer, natural leader, and steward of her family’s values. Cathy had a talented telecommunications career at SNET and AT&T, working as a leader across business and technology teams.
Cathy was born in Derby, CT, on August 16, 1956, the daughter of the late Sturgis A. and Madeleine Sobin. She grew up in Ansonia, the fourth in a family of five children, and enjoyed summers at the family’s Milford Point beach house. Cathy had a fun-loving spirit and was never hesitant to join in whatever games and antics her siblings were up to, even at the cost of more than a few scraped knees and bruises.
She attended Hopkins
School, graduated with a Bachelor in Mathematics from Connecticut College in 1978, and earned an MBA from the University of New Haven in 1981. She spent her whole professional career, over 42 years, at SNET and then AT&T, culminating as a Senior Technical Director. During that time, she was also a member of the volunteer group SNET Pioneers.
Cathy was actively engaged with her community. As a working mother, she was instrumental in starting the Before and After School Program in Pomperaug Regional School District 15, volunteered for the Girl Scouts of America, and presided over the Westover Parents’ Council in 2002-03. Cathy enjoyed volunteering at the Palace Theater of Waterbury and seeing shows with family and friends. The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team had no fan more dedicated, and the spring ritual of traveling to a Final Four with Rick was a highlight on their annual calendar.
She was an avid gardener who enjoyed attending flower shows and sharing her plantings. Cathy loved traveling; she spent many summers on Cape Cod, visited friends and family across the United States, and, most recently, relished the delights of newfound cultures as she explored Europe.
Cathy will be remembered for the example she set in devoting her time, love, and friendship to many, perhaps best exemplified by the years she cared for her mother, Madeleine, until her passing in 2020, and by many other smaller gestures for friends and relatives in their times of need. Holiday dinners were a central part of Sobins’ family life, and Cathy took on the responsibility of keeping that tradition alive once her parents were unable to, including homemade pierogis and bread from recipes passed down through multiple generations.
Cathy is survived by her husband of 40 years,
Richard; daughter, Katie; sister, Andrea Adam (Bruce); brother, Sturgis M. Sobin (Maryellen); sistersin-law, Linda Sobin and Maureen Szanto; 10 nieces and nephews, 4 grandnieces and grandnephews; and beloved dog, Rudy. She was predeceased by her sister, Christine Sobin; her brother, Peter Sobin; and her brother-in-law, Robert Szanto.
Friends may call on Thursday, September 1, 2022, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home, 235 Main St. N, Southbury. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, September 2, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 910 Main St. S, Southbury, with burial to follow at New North Cemetery in Woodbury.
Please consider a contribution in Cathy’s memory to CT Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org/ct , Danbury Animal Welfare Society at www.daws.org , or an animal rescue of your choosing. To send a message of sympathy, please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com