Catharine Ellen Young

Cathy Ortleb Drapeau Young, 69, of Rocky Hill, CT passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, February 10, 2024, after a very courageous battle with cancer. 

Cathy was born on April 6, 1954, to Charles Ortleb and Nora Cogan Ortleb in Brooklyn, NY. After Cathy graduated from New Providence High School in 1972, she went on to study Executive Secretarial Science at Bay Path College. 

After graduating with an associate degree, she moved to Connecticut where she raised her family for several years before moving to Pennsylvania. She worked in the medical field throughout her career but always felt her greatest accomplishment was being a mom.

Later in life Cathy moved to Pennsylvania where she met her husband, Timothy. Together they had many friends and quite an active social life. They went on many adventures together and often visited Myrtle Beach, SC. Once they were ready to retire, they decided to move back to Connecticut to be closer to family and to spend more time with their grandchildren. 

Cathy loved to travel, and recently went on the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii where she swam with the sea turtles.  She had a love for photography, crafting, gardening, and cooking. She was always looking up new recipes and cooking delicious meals for her family and friends. One of her favorite places was the ocean, more specifically the coast of Maine where she traveled several times throughout the years to visit the lighthouses. 

Cathy had a wonderful sense of humor and a very quick wit; she loved to laugh and spend time with friends and family.  She was a true animal lover with a special love for rescue dogs of which she had several throughout the years. She loved to watch the birds, especially the hummingbirds on her many bird feeders in her beautiful garden. 

Cathy is survived by her husband Timothy P. Young, her daughter Cara Drapeau McCullough and boyfriend Steven McWaid, her son Richard Drapeau and wife Samantha, Stepson Joseph B. Young and wife Beth, grandchildren Amanda, Jacob, Samuel (Kamm), Nora, Madeleine, and Richard (Drapeau), as well as her brothers Peter Ortleb and companion Sally Aspero, Denis and wife Jeanne Ortleb, Sister-in-Law, Connie Crosier, nieces and nephews and her faithful pup Maggie, as well as many lifelong friends including Lynda Cottrell, Melanie Johnson, and Barbara Wilkos. Cathy was predeceased by her parents. 

She is at peace now, no longer in pain, and reunited with her parents and loved ones whom she has missed terribly. 

There will be a celebration of life on what would have been her 70th birthday, April 6, 2024, from 11:00am-2:00pm at Still Hill Brewery and Taproom, 275 Cromwell Ave Building C Unit 9, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Cathy's memory may be made to Companion Pet Rescue, 522 N Georges Hill Rd, Southbury, CT 06488 www.cprdogs.com.