Obituary of Catherine Tordo DiGrazio Kalkanis

In New Haven, May 2, 2012, Catherine Tordo DiGrazio Kalkanis, 85, of East Haven. Wife of the late Giro DiGrazio. Mother of Nicholas (Barbara) DiGrazio of Hamden, Eugene (Nang) DiGrazio of Madison and Paul (Karen) DiGrazio of East Haven. Grandmother of Nicholas(Lucille) DiGrazio of East Haven, Thomas DiGrazio of East Haven, Elizabeth DiGrazio of Wallingford, Kimberly(David) Bogert of Wallingford,Mark DiGrazio of Hamden and Paula(Kevin)Beamer of North Carolina. Also survived by four great grandchildren, a sister in law Shirley Tordo of Madison and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brothers Joseph, Paul and John Tordo Sr. Born Feb 2, 1927 in Wallingford a daughter of the late Anthony and Annette Moruzzi Tordo, she was a graduate of Lyman Hall High School and graduated from the Hospital of St. Raphael School of Nursing in 1948. While at the school during WWII she was a member of the US Cadet Nurses Corp and also the US Army Air Force 1st Fighter Command Ground Observor Corp. Catherine worked as a registered nurse for many years at the Hospital of St. Raphael and also the Jewish Home for the Aged. She was an active member of St. Claire Church in East Haven, was a volunteer at CT Hospice and the Mary Wade Home and was a member of the St. Raphaels Alumni Assoc. Catherine loved her family deeply and enjoyed cooking and baking for them. She also was a fan of UCONN Women's Basketball and the Boston Red Sox. Funeral from the Clancy Funeral Home,43 Kirkham Ave., Tuesday morning at 9:30. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Claire Church at 10:00. Interment will follow in St. Lawrence Cemetery. Friends may call Tuesday morning prior to the Mass from 8-9:30.Memorial contributions may be made to St Claire Church 234 Coe Ave., East Haven 06512, the Mary Wade Home, 118 Clinton Ave., New Haven, CT 06513 or the Franciscan Hospice of Meriden, 267 Finch Ave., Meriden, CT 06451. Catherine's family would like to thank her many friends and staff at the Mary Wade Home and also the staff at Franciscan Hospice.