Catherine Marie Reinhardt Obituary

Cathy Reinhardt, beloved mother, educator, clinician, and loyal friend, who led deeply passionate personal and professional lives, died on Nov. 7 in Buffalo, NY, surrounded by her family. She was 77.

Her death, in a hospital after a 5-week stay, was caused by acute respiratory failure as a result of numerous procedural complications from a planned routine surgery.

Gregarious and inquisitive by both nature and inclination, Cathy loved to chat with, and learn from, absolutely everyone she met, whether they liked it or not, and always ultimately managed to charm and disarm listeners with her subtle and sweet Bostonian accent. A Psychologist by profession, as well as a high school English Teacher and Administrator, Cathy leveraged her intellectual and compassionate strengths to both educate and heal students and clients throughout her career, and vastly improved the lives of all young-adults she worked with. A fiercely-independent woman of the Ruth Bader Ginsberg era, she was a lifelong champion of gender equality and women's rights, and wrote her dissertation on female gender role stereotypes and mindsets in professional and non-professional careers, which was foundational to the feminist ethos that she so proudly carried throughout her life. Cathy loved to both educate and advocate for all peoples, but her greatest love of all was that for her three children, Kristen, Kevin, and Colin, whom she deeply, deeply cherished.

Catherine Marie Perham was born on Feb. 17, 1947 in Lowell, MA. Her father, Charles Perham, was a union member and worker in a paper mill, while her mother, Margaret Perham (Clancy), raised Cathy and her two younger twin sisters, Marjorie and Maureen. Cathy was also raised by her aunts, who lived on the other side of the house; Rosie, Marie, and Lila. Later in life, Cathy would reflect on her mother asking her "what could you ever want in the world outside of Lowell?", and her answer was simply "everything". Raised within a traditional and devout Irish-Catholic household, her elementary-school years were formed under the auspices and strict disciplines of Catholic nuns, a profound experience which, half jokingly and half seriously, she summarily recalled as the period when "the nuns saved my life". To that end, recognizing her greater ambitions, the Sisters encouraged Cathy to pursue higher education outside of Lowell, and breaking with her parents' wishes, she left Lowell to obtain a Bachelor of English degree at Merrimack College. Leveraging her education and adventurous spirit, Cathy traveled abroad for a year to teach English in St. Croix USVI, which was an extremely foundational and inspirational experience for her professional and personal lives. When she returned, Cathy was accepted into Boston College and earned a Master of Education degree in Counselor Education, followed by a Doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology, all which further enhanced her qualifications and abilities to successfully teach and counsel others throughout her two-fold career.

In 1972, Cathy met Tom Reinhardt through a mutual friend while both were living in Somerville, MA pursuing their respective doctoral degrees, and they proceeded to fall in love, marry, and grow their professional and personal lives together for 25 years, during which they raised their three beloved children in both Newburyport, MA and Northwest Connecticut, and after which they remained lifelong friends beyond their marriage's end. At the age of 49, Cathy met David Lange, a Hollywood screenwriter and the love of her continuing life, through which they lived 10 wonderful years together before his untimely passing in 2006. After his death, Cathy moved to the Mystic and Stonington area on the Connecticut coast, where she felt most connected to the enchanting shoreline communities, their New England coastal charm, and their magical ocean splendor. She continued her Psychology practice through her remaining Connecticut days, and in 2022 took her career and her greater life up to Buffalo, NY to live as close as possible to her daughter Kristen and her new grandson, Colby, who she loved the world-over. Wherever Cathy went, she passionately brought with her a plethora of books to read, classical melodies to gently hum, and an undying love for the North Shore of Massachusetts, as well as her beloved Boston Red Sox and Boston College Eagles.

Cathy was predeceased by her life partner, David Lange. She is survived by her three children; her daughter, Kristen (Gus) Reinhardt and their son, Colby, of Guelph, ON; her son, Kevin Reinhardt, of Litchfield, CT; her son, Colin (Kayla) Reinhardt, of Jamaica Plain, MA; her former husband, Thomas Reinhardt, of Litchfield, CT; her sister Marjorie (John) Cooper, of Greer, SC; her sister Maureen (Ernie) Stennes, of Halifax, MA; and countless extended family members, lifelong friends, students, clients, and all of those fortunate enough to chat with, and be healed by, our affable, loquacious, and ever-loving lady.

A celebration of life will be held in the Spring of 2025, and Cathy's ashes will be spread by her children in places that she held deep within her heart, including Cornwall, CT, Mystic, CT, Newburyport, MA, and Southwest Harbor, ME.

Donations and Tribute Gifts, in lieu of flowers, can be made in Cathy's honor to the Susan B. Anthony Project, to the Mystic Connecticut Library, to the The Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations FBO Crane Beach/Trustee Lands, to the Boston Symphony Orchestra FBO Tanglewood Fund, or to WBUR, her beloved Boston NPR member station.