Catherine Niering
Gales Ferry — Catherine Niering, 90, of Gales Ferry died Saturday, Nov. 16, at her home. She was the widow of the late Dr. William A. Niering. She was born Dec. 10, 1928, in Cowen, Tenn., and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Hunter College in 1950. She was employed as a social worker in New London when she met “her sweetie” William, who would later become a professor of botany and human ecology at Connecticut College. They married June 25, 1955, at the Connecticut College Arboretum. They began their married life on Gallows Lane in New London and had two sons, William and Hugh.
The family moved to Gales Ferry in 1963, where they raised their family and many beloved dachshunds over their years. Catherine was an avid reader, builder of jigsaw puzzles, and was a master of all types of needle arts. She was also a master of the English language, and she helped her husband type and edit his several books and numerous publications. Catherine and William were frequent travelers, packing up the children and dogs in the station wagon for these trips. Catherine had a great passion for classical music and the comic strip Peanuts. After losing her husband, William, Catherine was able to find contentment in the little things in life again, her garden, her “doggies,” birding, countless antiquing trips, and her family. Her lifelong passion was High Tea twice a day and she was a collector at heart.
Besides her husband, she was predeceased by her son Hugh. She is survived by her son William and daughter-inlaw, Kerry “the daughter she never had.”
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, at the United Methodist Church of Gales Ferry, 10 Chapman Lane, Gales Ferry. Burial will be private immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations in her name may be made to the Connecticut Humane Society, 169 Old Colchester Road, Quaker Hill, CT 06375.
Please visit www.churchandallen.com to leave an online tribute or condolence.