Catherine (Shine) Braun, 94 years young, died unexpectedly at her home in Littleton, New Hampshire on January 30, 2016. Born April 17, 1921 in the village of Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland at Knocknagurrane, near Cullen. Mrs. Braun grew up in a typical Catholic family as the youngest of 7 brothers and sisters. She was raised in a cottage with a thatched and sod roof, heated only by a peat stove, and lacking indoor plumbing or electricity. In 1937 she travelled to London to train as a nurse. Catherine lived and worked in that city during the Blitzkrieg, tending to the injured and the ill.
During the 1950’s, Catherine immigrated to Boston to care for a sick relative. There she met the love of her life, Frederick J. Braun. They were married in May 1958 and had a son, Gary, the next year. After living for a short time in Connecticut and Vermont, she and Fred settled down and built a home in Littleton, where she resided for the remainder of her life. Catherine continued with nursing in New Hampshire. She frequently worked as a private nurse, caring for permanently disabled patients or those with terminal illnesses. She was devoted to her patients and worked well into her later years giving comfort to those who lived in pain and discomfort.
Mrs. Braun was intensely religious. Her life revolved around the church. Those who were close to her witnessed the absolute conviction of her faith and beliefs. Her friends liked to joke that she was closer to God than any Pope. She placed her trust in her family and with God. She was vibrant, opinionated and sometimes as stubborn as an ox. Disciplined and deeply principled, Catherine loved to talk current events and politics, and was never shy about expressing her opinion. Being Irish, she was proud, fiercely loyal, and wore her heart and emotions on her sleeve. You always knew where you stood with her.
Her family’s heartache at her loss is tempered by the long and good life she lived. Independent till the day she died, she resided alone, living on her own terms. She still mowed the lawn on her riding tractor, drove her car nearly every day and attended church regularly. She was an inspiration to everyone she met, and was loved intensely by her friends and family. Words cannot express how much she will be missed.
Catherine is survived by one sibling, her sister Peg, who is 101 years young; by her son Gary A. Braun and his wife Nancy, of Nashua NH; and, by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews who reside in the United States, Ireland and England, all of whom loved her deeply.
SERVICES – A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Rose of Lima Church in Littleton, NH on February 5, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Fr. Mark Dollard as Celebrant.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Rose of Lima Parish in Catherine’s name.
– from http://phaneuf.tributes.com/obituary/read/Catherine-Braun-103258130
The above death notice on my Aunt Kit (Catherine Braun nee Shine) is a little misleading for which a correction is needed. She was not from Millstreet, as her son, my cousin, thought, but from Knocknagurrane near Cullen village. Its not very far from Cullen to Millstreet but people may have been wondering who the lady was.