Supercentenarian Profile

Catena Cavallaro

Born:

1907-10-08

Catania, Sicily

Italy

Died:

2018-10-13

Briarcliff Manor, New York

United States

Angela Maria Catena Cavallaro (née Pagano) was an Italian-born American supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Catena Cavallaro was born in Catania, Sicily, Italy, on 8 October 1907, to parents Ignazio Pagano and Rose Emmi. She had seven brothers and four sisters. She met her husband, Carmello Cavallaro, while living in Italy and immigrated to America in the 1930s. Together, she and Carmello, a shoemaker, lived in Pleasantville until his death in 1961. The couple had three children: Ignazio, John Cavallaro, and Natalie Forleo.

Her family described her as a consummate homemaker. She jokingly told the North Salem News that the secret to her longevity was “a boyfriend,” but her family attributed it to a lifetime of homemade meals made with fresh ingredients from her garden.

Catena Cavallaro passed away in Briarcliff Manor, New York, on 13 October 2018, five days after her 111th birthday. She was survived by her three children, six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.