Groton — Katherine Bonadies Cerasole departed from this world on Sunday evening.
She was born in Hartford on March 7, 1910, the daughter of the late Carlo and Lucia Bonadies.
She married Joseph J. Cerasole in 1936. He died in 1981.
Mrs. Cerasole spent her childhood in Hartford, later moving to W. Hartford and then to Groton in 1972. In earlier years, she was employed as a service representative by SNET in Hartford, then she worked for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft (now United Technologies) in East Hartford as an office clerk, retiring in 1972.
Mrs. Cerasole was a charter member and past president of the Daughters of Queen Margerite, a Hartford civic, cultural, and charitable organization that was organized in 1926 by members who were single and had some Italian heritage. In Groton, she was past vice president and an active member of the Groton Senior Citizens Club, from which she received many pleasures and gratification. She was a member of Women's Aglow, a Christian Fellowship who shares the needs and concerns of women in the world.
During World War II, she became involved in many community activities, including volunteering in the USO Canteen and hospital as an airplane spotter for the Civil Defense. During this time, all planes which left the ground and were spotted in the air had to be identified as a single or double engine and then reported to headquarters.
In 1977, Gov. Weicker promoted a one-week all-expense trip for 50 Connecticut seniors to Washington to observe the workings of congress and report back to local seniors. Mrs. Cerasole was chosen to represent Groton. She was a member of the RSVP and sat on the ad-hoc committee to discuss and suggest the future of the organization. Her other interests were playing bridge, knitting, crocheting, and traveling. She was a member of the Pleasant Valley Community of Prayer and Praise in Groton.
She is survived by a son, Joseph J. Cerasole Jr., and his wife, Diannah, of East Lyme; a daughter, Marilyn Lawson, of Hudson, Fla.; two grandsons, James Crockett and Kenneth Lawson; two granddaughters, Colette Curtis and Michelle Cerasole; eight great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. She is also survived by two sisters, Lucille Bonadies, of Rocky Hill, and Dorothy Calabrese, of E. Hartford.
She was predeceased by a brother, Nicholas Bonadies; and a sister, Florence DiFazio.
A Memorial Service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Pleasant Valley Community of Prayer and Praise, 20 Grove Ave., Groton. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Private burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. There are no visiting hours.
Donations in her memory may be made to St. Jude's Hospital, PO Box 318, Memphis, TN 38100 or to the church.