WINSLOW – Ms. Catherine Cosgrove Westervelt, of Winslow, died unexpectedly at home on May 19, 2024. She was 63.

Born in Boston, Mass., on Feb. 4, 1961, the daughter of Dr. Peter and Nancy Fortuine Westervelt, Katie was a kind and loving soul, with a gentle and humble demeanor, a friend who would give the shirt off her back for others. Blessed with a creative and adventurous spirit, she loved folk music and was a talented artist. Katie had a deep love of the sea from the time she was a child, and she collected seashells throughout her life. She also loved to hunt for and collect sea glass, something she shared with her brother, Owen. She was an active member of the Philadelphia Shell Club during her years living in that city.

After graduation from Waterville Senior High School in 1978, she spent a year living abroad in Canterbury, England. She subsequently matriculated at the University of Maine at Orono, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 1986. A life-long love of books that began before she could read took her to Waterville Public Library, where she worked in high school, to the Belfast Free Library where she was Children’s Librarian, to the School of Library and Information Sciences of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a Master of Library Science degree, focusing on children’s literature, in 1992, and to the Philadelphia Free Library, where she served on a variety of capacities, including Children’s Librarian and neighborhood Branch Manager. She was a communicant at the Parishes of Corpus Christi, and lived her last years in Winslow with her cherished cats, the loving heart of a great circle of friends and family who sorely grieve her passing.

Katie was predeceased by her brother, Nathan Westervelt and is survived by brothers Peter Westervelt and his wife Donna Rossignol Westervelt of Harpswell, Benjamin Westervelt and his wife Carol Schrader of Portland, Ore., Owen Westervelt and his wife PJ Westervelt of Seattle, Wash., sisters Sarah Westervelt Bizier and her husband Paul Bizier of Vassalboro, and Hilda Westervelt and her partner Phil Copeland, of Waterville; as well as three nieces, two nephews; a grandniece, and grandnephew.

A funeral service is planned for 10 a.m. on July 2 at Notre Dame Church of the Parish of Corpus Christi, Waterville.

Copy the Story Link