Mary Catherine “Cal” Fletcher
Dan McClelland
Mary Catherine Fletcher, “Cal” to most people, went home to the Lord on July 13, 2023.
She was born August 4,1929 to Roderick and Anne (Kavanagh) McCauley.
Cal attended school at Holy Ghost Academy, graduating Valedictorian of her class. She worked for a few years for AT&T before marrying Earl Fletcher in 1948. Together they raised five children.
Life with Earl was an adventure. Together they weathered the ups and the downs of life, celebrating 65 years together until his passing in April 2014.
Cal was a lifelong member of St. Alphonsus Church, where she was a money counter and was very active in the Catholic Daughters for over 60 years.
She was not a housewife, she was a home-maker and welcomed friends and relatives at any time.
Cal was an excellent knitter and baker-well known for her chocolate chip cookies. Her family always made a beeline to the cupboard looking for the Tupperware container specifically designated for her famous chocolate chip cookies. Everyone wanted to make sure they got their fair share.
She was a cook, cleaner, chauffeur, basketball, baseball, soccer, and hockey cheerleader and whatever else her family needed. Cal was a true sports fan. She enjoyed watching the pros play as well as all of her grandchildren. However, if anyone in the family was ever injured her remedy before going to the doctor was to “soak it”. That remains a joke in the family to this day. As her children left home, she started bowling and with Earl’s sponsorship, she enjoyed bowling with the ladies of Fletcher’s Scrappers for many years. You may also have had the pleasure of running into Cal at Ray’s Liquor Store where she worked for a time to fill those empty nest years.
One of her biggest joys was taking vacations with her family in the summer. She and Earl would rent a cabin in Lake George, where her children and grandchildren would join them to make wonderful memories. Often included was her niece Michelle (Bourbeau) Stevens, who was more like a daughter to Cal than a niece, along with her family.
She is survived by three of her children, Karen (John) Walker, Jerry (Tracy) and Don (Kelley) along with her six grandchildren: Samantha Walker, Josh and Elliott Fletcher, and Maeve, Peyton, and Quinn Fletcher. Also surviving are her in-laws Mary (Fletcher) Chapman and James Fletcher as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was predeceased by her husband Earl, sons Jeff and John and her siblings: Helen Brown, Phyllis Boushie, Theresa Brunette, Jean Bourbeau, Francis McCauley, and Estelle McMillian.
The family would like to express a huge thank you to all the wonderful caregivers that have taken care of our mother over the years. Because of all of you, she was able to stay in her beloved home until the end. Our hearts are filled with gratitude.
Calling hours will be held from 10a.m. to noon today (Wednesday, July 19, 2023) at the Frary Funeral Home, 24 Cliff Ave., Tupper Lake. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30p.m. today (Wednesday, July 19, 2023) at St. Alphonsus Church, 48 Wawbeek Ave, Tupper Lake. Burial will take place immediately after at St. Alphonsus Cemetery.