Catherine E. (Cassidy) Tufts, passed away April 20, at the age of 87. Born in Stoughton, she was a daughter of the late Edward and Margaret Cassidy and graduated from Stoughton High School, Class of 1939, at the age of 16. During World War II, she worked as a machinist at the Fore River Co. and later became a bookkeeper for Hood Milk. As a young wife to the late Ralph F. Tufts, she was employed as an operator for NE Tel & Tel and was a member of The Pioneers. In the 1960s, she was a civil rights supporter and ran one of the first desegregated Cub Scout troops in the area. As her children became school age, she worked mothers hours for the original Brockton Public Market and later Shaws Supermarkets as a cashier for a total of 34 years retiring at the age of 75. She enjoyed summers on Cape Cod for many years as a place to relax by the beach, read endlessly and enjoy music, dance and summer theater with her family. In her retirement, she moved to Sandwich and then Pocasset, where she continued to pursue these hobbies as well as her beloved bingo and more recently Trivial Pursuit. Additionally, she became a big Boston sports fan. She is survived by her children, Mary Ann Tufts and her husband Mauricio Torres of Plymouth and Vina del Mar, Chile, Ralph E. Tufts and his wife Margaret of Mashpee and Gayle Tufts and her husband Lutz Gajewski of Berlin, Germany; beloved grandmother of Virginia and Micki Torres and Brady Kerrigan Tufts and the late Yolanda M. Torres; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. A funeral Mass will be held Saturday, May 1, at 10 a.m. at St. Peters Church in Plymouth. There are no visiting hours and burial will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be made at richarddavisfuneralhome.com.


Published in The Patriot Ledger on 4/24/2010