Lee, NH

Catherine Valentine, 92, formerly of Lee and Durham New Hampshire, passed away on July 12, 2015, after a long and fulfilling life.

She was born in Big Bend, Wisconsin, the second of five children of Thomas and Margaret (Casey) Corstvet. She graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 1941, received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1945, and later, a Master's degree from the University of New Hampshire with an emphasis in reading and writing with young children. She also studied early childhood education in Oxfordshire, England.

In 1948, she married Russell L. Valentine of Northborough, MA. They settled in Durham, NH in 1953 when Russell took a teaching position in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of New Hampshire. In 1962, they moved to Lee, NH and raised five children in an old farmhouse. For over twenty years, she taught elementary education in the seacoast region of New Hampshire, many of which were spent in the Oyster River School District.

She was predeceased by her husband Russell in 1999. She is survived by five children, James R. Valentine and his wife Karen of Salt Lake City, UT; Janet V. Hook and her husband Donald of Cumberland, RI; Mark L. Valentine and his wife Bounlirth of Vientiane, Laos; Carol E. MacEwen and her husband Scott of Capitola, CA; and Peter F. Valentine and his wife Kathleen of Milford, MA; 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Her family and teaching were her life. Interment will be aside her husband in the Northborough Cemetery.

The family would like to thank Lisa, Lynne, Louisa and Andre of Emerald Bay Manor for their many years of care and friendship, and the staff at Gentiva Hospice for the compassionate care and support they provided during the final weeks of Catherine's life.

A calling hour will be held Friday, July 17, 2015 from 10 to 11 a.m. in Hays Funeral Home, 56 Main St. Northborough, MA followed by a funeral in the funeral home at 11 a.m. Interment will be aside her husband in Howard Street Cemetery, Northborough. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005. To share a memory or to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.haysfuneralhome.com