Cathleen Connolly Hetherton, 91, of Dartmouth died peacefully Monday May 17, 2004 at Hathaway Manor Extended Care Facility where she had resided since December 2003. Prior to that, she lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Suzy and Charlie Burke, in Dartmouth. Mrs. Hetherton lived in Dartmouth during the 1980s, in Chatham during the 1990s, and in Washington, D.C. from 2000 until 2003.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, the third of nine children of the late Raymond and Agnes (Herbert) Connolly, she was raised in South Orange, New Jersey. In 1941 she married Jerome M. Hetherton, an official of the National Labor Relations Board in New York City and later manager of labor relations for Curtiss-Wright Corp. of Caldwell, New Jersey. They raised three daughters, Suzy Burke of Dartmouth, Judy Hetherton of Washington, D.C., and Marilyn Hetherton of West Palm Beach, Florida. After her husband's death, Mrs. Hetherton entered her family's real estate business in the late 1950s and managed a branch office of the Raymond Connolly Company in Millburn-Short Hills, New Jersey from 1965 to 1980.
Upon her retirement in 1980, Mrs. Hetherton moved to Massachusetts to be near her daughter, Suzy, and her grandchildren, Chuck Burke, now of New York City, and Katie Burke of Philadelphia. A devoted grandmother, she enjoyed many happy hours with her grandchildren at the beaches in Dartmouth and Chatham. She was an avid puzzler and Scrabble player, and bested her children and grandchildren at the game well past her 90th birthday.
In addition to her daughters, grandchildren, and son-in-law, she is survived by two sisters, Beth Feeley, of Belfast, Maine, formerly of Dennis, and Joan Burk of Winter Haven, Florida, as well as 23 nieces and nephews, including Toddy Everett of South Chatham.
Her Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday May 19, 2004 at 10 AM in St. Mary's Church, South Dartmouth. Visiting hours are omitted. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Bishop Stang High School, 500 Slocum Rd., Dartmouth, MA 02747.