In Memory, Cathy Spivey,
In 1984 I moved onto Senator Street . This Brownstone lined block was a very Brooklyn block with residents who had spent most of their
lives on the block. By 1984 most of the
children of the block had grown up and moved away. Most of the residents had European descendents,
Irish, Norwegian, German and others. At
the top of the block was the old Bay
Ridge Girls
High School High
School of Telecommunications
The first house next to the school belonged to the Spivey family. Dorothy Spivey was nearing 65 in 1984. Cathy was still living at home and was in
her 40's. Cathy was a misfit child. Her overweight posture and whiskers made her
homely and unappealing to the man who might be seeking a wife. Her voice was often a nagging whine that
made conversation difficult. By 1984
she lived with her mom and best friend Pat from High School. Her friend was shorter and wore glasses and
was in part a good fit for Cathy. Pat
went to work everyday in Manhattan .
As best friends, they went everywhere
together.
Because of Cathy's stature, she was not able to work. She did work at home making hand made Jewelry
which she would sell at fairs. She also
created beautiful artwork of her animals.
Most of all she loved animals.
She had cat collections, both indoor and out door. She also bred show dogs of the most unusual
types. A few dogs were allowed to live
inside and others were kept outside.
Neighbors would complain about the barking dogs. Some threatened to shoot the dogs after they
shot Cathy. To cart the dogs to the
shows she had a green dodge van. She
would back the van into her driveway.
Cathy was one of our friendliest neighbors. She loved to talk about her dogs and she was
a good source on caring for any pet you might have. Over the years she guided me as to how to
car for my dogs. My first dog, Misty
was a gentle soul. When she passed away,
Cathy was there with a beautiful sympathy card. It captured the feelings that we were all
going through at the loss of our family pet.
My second dog was the polar opposite.
This dog bit everyone. Cathy's
best advice was to kill the dog. The dog
never bit Cathy. When Texas died, Cathy was there with another
sympathy card (perhaps a little less sympathetic than the first card).
Encounters with Cathy could be very interesting. I often whistle. I do it without thinking. Evidently my whistling over the years would awaken
her dogs into a rousing round of rough barking that would disturb the
neighbors, whom I mentioned above wanted to kill her and the dogs. One Sunday morning when I was at church she
rang our bell and woke Rob, my son, out of a drunken sleep. Upon answering the door, he found Cathy reeling
about my whistling and how it had to stop.
If I continued she would have me arrested for harassment. Robbie was not sure how to deal with Cathy
and simple closed the door and went back to sleep.
Shortly after the construction on the school started, Cathy
became relentless on stopping the project at any cost. First
it was the continual noise, then it was
a dirt and heavy machinery. Then they
destroyed all the gardens that the graduating classes had donated. As a final hit against Cathy, in the midst of
all the noise and dirt flying, her mom passed away in her sleep. She then set out to sue the school for her
mom's death. For 15 years the noise and
dirt never stopped.
Over the years Cathy became a loyal friend. She had an urban garden in her front
yard. She grew all sorts of plants and
told me to help myself to her herbs.
She had a variety of mint plants, including a chocolate mint.
At one point, social services made her work. That lasted for a summer. She would go into bodegas with a teen to try
and buy beer. Of course she was the spy,
who no one would ever suspect as Drug and Alcohol enforcement. She
really liked that job and was a hit for her unit. However, funds ran out and she was out of a
job.
In recent years I did not see Cathy much. I had moved across town and rarely got back
on the block. About 5 years ago I
happened on the block and Cathy was outside.
She did not look the same, she really seemed to be failing. She announced that her best friend and
supporter of her home had passed away during a routine surgery. Evidently infection had set in and she died in
about two days. With her mom gone and
now Pat, she had no one to help her with her life. Several neighbors tried to be with her. Her finances finally were running out to the
point where she had no more lights or heat and barely enough food. In Early April she was found dead in bed by a
neighbor who occasionally would check in on her. I was on the block the day after she was
found. My heart was deeply touched by
her death. She was a good friend and a
great neighbor. Her laugh and
insanities will never leave my mind.
Her relatives quickly moved in on this home. Her mother specified in her will that Cathy
had rights to the house until she died.
Now they were able to take over the place. The weeks that followed were spent in
carting all of her earthly possessions away.
Six 30 yard dumpsters were filled with all of her possessions. Watching this was difficult. Everything that was hers was deemed of no
value to the relatives. They ripped away
all of the flowers and a big center bush and left the outside yard baron. They will sell the home for about one
million dollars... that is the fix me up price. They had finally won this prize with little
reference to the real prize that had passed away. In memory of Cathy, oddly enough, flowers
began to grow in her front yard. No one
has a clue how they got there or how they managed to grow without being
watered. But as you walk by there they
are for all to enjoy, sporting the memories of our dear friend Cathy Spivey.
