In Memory of

Catherine

Elizabeth

Mein

(Sonnenberg)

Obituary for Catherine Elizabeth Mein (Sonnenberg)

Saratoga Springs, NY – Catherine Elizabeth (Sonnenberg) Mein, 92, formerly of Watervliet and Cohoes, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 08, 2018 at the Wesley Health Care Center.

Born in Highland, NY on March 2, 1925, Catherine was the daughter of the late Albert and Ethel (Smith) Sonnenberg. She was a 1942 graduate of Kingston High School in Kingston, NY and furthered her education at SUNY New Paltz where she received a bachelor’s degree in education. Catherine earned her master’s degree in education from Russell Sage College while teaching and raising a family, an accomplishment she was very proud of.

Catherine, known as Mrs. Mein to her students, enjoyed a career of more than thirty years, as a first grade teacher, in the Watervliet City School District. She retired in 1985.

A member of the former Watervliet Wesleyan Church where she had served on the church board, Catherine was a current member of the Waterford Wesleyan Church. She was an avid fan of the NY Yankees and also followed the NJ Nets.

In her retirement years, Catherine remained very active and was often called on by the school district to teach and monitor classes. She enjoyed crocheting and knitting and was proud to have crocheted a blanket for each of her grandchildren and several of her great-grandchildren. She also knitted hats and mittens and donated much of what she made to those in need. She and her husband enjoyed summer trips to the Wesleyan Church Camp in West Chazy, NY. They loved opening their home to family and friends and Catherine was often heard saying that she was “waiting for the whole gang to come” to their house each and every holiday and for family get-togethers, poolside, in the summer months. She and her husband once traveled to Honduras where together they helped to build a church and she taught. In the mid 1990’s, they traveled to Germany to visit their granddaughter and her husband, who was serving in the army, and to realize a long-time dream of researching her Sonnenberg ancestral roots. Catherine lived her life according to her Christian values and truly lived a life of service to others. Whether it was to her family, her church, her students or to those in need, she was selfless and dedicated to serving and caring for others. To know her was a blessing and she will truly be missed by everyone who knew her and loved her.

Catherine was the beloved wife of the late William J. Mein, Sr. and together they shared more than 67 years of marriage before his passing in 2013. She was the loving mother of William J. Mein, Jr. (Betty) of Latham, Donald C. Mein (Joann) of East Berne, Cheryl S. Noll (Wayne) of Dayton, Ohio and Wesley M. Mein (Joy) of Clifton Park; the last surviving of her siblings, she was dear sister of the late Ethel Van Wagner whose husband Roy survives, Albert Sonnenberg whose wife Dorothy survives, Ida Plumb, Maella Zannad and Otto Sonnenberg. She is also survived by 16 Grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service for Catherine will be held on Wednesday at 10am in the Bowen & Parker Brothers Funeral Home, 97 Old Loudon Road, Latham, where the Reverend Paul Barna, senior pastor of the Waterford Wesleyan Church will officiate. Interment will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Friends are invited to attend and may also visit with Catherine’s family on Tuesday from 4 until 7 pm at the funeral home. To those who wish to remember Catherine in a special way, donations to the Waterford Wesleyan Church, 75 Grace Street, Waterford, NY 12188 would be appreciated.

Affiliations


The Wesleyan Church