Obituary of Catherine J. Sturm

October 17, 1934 – September 26, 2023 Catherine Josephine (Katy) Sturm, beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother & retired childcare provider passed away peacefully the morning of September 26th at Autumn View Health Care Facility in Hamburg, NY. Katy was just a few weeks shy of her 89th birthday. Mrs. Sturm was a multi-talented, energetic, and self-sacrificing friend to all around the town of Eden, NY for several decades. She birthed and raised 11 children, housed several foreign exchange students, provided child daycare for several others, supported the local school and numerous sports teams, was an active parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church, a regular volunteer at the Eden-North Collins Food Pantry, ardent gardener, avid reader of mysteries, a wizard at crossword puzzles, and a member of the quilting guild. Catherine J. Seekins was born in Frewsburg, NY in 1934 to Mary Ellen and Alvin Francis Seekins. She was the 3rd youngest of eleven Seekins children. Known as Katy, she was a very active outdoors youth helping to work the farm and participating in several sports as a young girl. She was very artistic as well with a lovely singing voice, a talented hand with the paintbrush, and skilled seamstress abilities. Though petite in stature, Katy was never short of heart and she excelled in sports with the local youth, showcasing her basketballs skills and often besting the local young boys in baseball. Katy excelled academically throughout the Frewsburg Central School system and graduated from Frewsburg High School with honors as the class salutatorian. Upon graduation, she enrolled in Brockport State Teacher’s College. It was at Brockport State in 1953 that the strikingly beautiful young Katy captured the eye of Edward W. Sturm, Jr. of Rochester, NY. They began dating and Katy provided support to Ed as he served in the Army in Ft. Eustis, VA after his graduation and while he took his masters courses across NY state. They were married in October 1955. When Ed was hired into the Eden Central Schools in 1956 as a teacher, they settled in Eden and spent the next 40 years dedicating themselves to the youth of Eden. Ed taught and coached several sports, served as ECS athletic director, and organized summer recreation for the Eden & North Collins kids while Katy was his rock of strength and the wind beneath his wings. Katy was a fixture in the stands at ECS sporting events and routinely hosted end of the season get-togethers for Ed’s teams. Like her parents, Katy & Ed had 11 children of their own. All grew up in the Eden Central Schools & Eden recreation program, participated in sports and graduated from Eden Senior High School. Katy was the energetic and ever-present force that held the family together and drove the kids to achieve more than they ever thought they could. Somehow, she always had the strength and patience needed to attend to everyone’s various needs and still maintain her cheerful disposition. Katy performed miracles in the kitchen on a teacher’s salary to provide three balanced meals a day, every day for the entire gang. She assisted in homework, studying and school projects, kept everyone’s schedules straight, ran the family “taxi” to get everyone to and from their school activities, doctors and dentist appointments and sports contests, sewed Halloween costumes and prom dresses, added her artwork to school reports, helped foster the kids’ hobbies, cut the kids’ hair, read stories before bedtime, and provided guidance, counseling and emotional support as needed. Amazingly, Katy managed to do all this while doing laundry, grocery shopping, first aid, cleaning etc. for 11 highly active children. She ran a tight ship around the house in the mornings to get everyone fed, groomed and out the door and on their way on time. No matter the pressures on her in all these challenges, Katy always had time for others and did it all with a smile on her face. And throughout all of this she taught the kids how to love unconditionally. As her children grew and became more independent, Katy opened her home to provide daycare for other local kids of working parents. Katy had an endless font of joy and love welled within her that she readily shared with those around her. Later she dedicated more of her time to charitable work at the local food pantry and church, lending her vocal talents to the choir and her cooking skills to the annual Lawn Fete among many other volunteer activities. She made lovely personalized quilts for all the kids and grandkids. Mrs. & Mr. Sturm enjoyed 60 full years of marriage before Ed’s passing in March 2016. Katy is pre-deceased by all her 10 siblings, but survived by children: Barbara Decsi (Tim Keogh), Kevin (Patricia), Mary Wilger (Tim), Ed (Barbara), Michael (Erin), Stephen (Sherry Capetti), David, James, Joanne Meadows, Linda Hatch (Richard), and Eric; her 25 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild. A memorial service mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Eden, NY on Saturday, Nov. 4th at 11:15AM. Receiving hour will be 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family would invite contributions to the Eden-North Collins Food Pantry or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (michaeljfox.org).