Obituary of Catherine A. Fragale

Catherine “Cathy” Ann Fragale, 86, of East Syracuse, formerly of Clinton, NY, passed away on October 6, 2023, surrounded by her beloved family.  

Cathy was born on June 13, 1937, in Ogdensburg, NY, to Charles and Marion Restle. The family moved to Clinton in 1953. She married Philip “Phil” Fragale, in Clinton, NY, in 1961, spending the next 58 years together until Phil’s death in December 2019. A graduate of Clinton Central School and Mohawk Valley Community College with a degree in advertising, Cathy was also a skilled artist and calligrapher. She began her career designing ads and display windows for Utica department stores, but decided to instead use her incredible talents to raise her family and devote her life to local charities and causes. Cathy was proud to be a military wife spending time on posts across the country. For over three decades, Cathy developed and led the religious education programs at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clinton, NY, helping generations of children learn about their faith and prepare to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation. As an avid reader her entire life, Cathy instilled a love of reading in her children and grandchildren. She loved libraries and was an instrumental member of the Board of Trustees for the Kirkland Town Library, including serving as its president. Cathy also spent countless hours giving her time to local charities, including Catholic Charities and The Country Pantry. She had a huge heart and always had empathy for families in difficult situations. She worked tirelessly helping to provide families in need with food and clothing and to make sure that each family had food on their table for holidays and presents to open at Christmas. In her free time, she would spend hours tending to her gardens. When Cathy and Phil moved to East Syracuse, she loved her house overlooking the pond with the geese, ducks, blue herons and deer that were frequent visitors.  

After raising their own children, Cathy and Phil devoted themselves to what became their favorite pastime, sharing their lives with their precious grandchildren. Whether it was attending sporting events, going on vacations down south, or simply spending time together at home, there was rarely a day when Cathy was not enjoying the company of one or more of her ten grandchildren, each of whom looked forward to and cherished their time with their grandmother.  

She is survived by her daughters Jane McEachron and Susan (John) Clancy, sons Jeffrey (Renee) Fragale and David (Elissa) Fragale, grandchildren, Connor, Alexandra (Johnny), Olivia, Jordan, Jacob, Sophie, Maxwell, Henry, Avery, and Lila, and her great granddaughter Ava. She is also survived by her sisters Janet Restle and Martha (Richard) Smith, her brother Charles (Jackie) Restle, and her sisters-in-law Phylis Kimiak and Maryann Pederson as well as many nieces and nephews.  

A Mass and Christian burial will be held at 11am Friday, October 13, 2023, at St. Mary's Church in Clinton, NY. There will be no public calling hours. Arrangements by Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Cathy’s memory to The Country Pantry P.O. Box 76 Clinton, NY 13323 or The Kirkland Town Library. Cathy’s family would like to thank the nurses and aides of unit 1-4 and the palliative care team at St. Joseph’s Hospital as well as Dr. Aref Agheli and his team at HOA for their support, kindness and positivity.