Nathalie (Nat) Caton, 100, of Brunswick, formerly of Wiscasset, died Aug. 1 at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick.
Nathalie was born in Husby, Norway, a small town on an island off the northern coast, on March 18, 1910. She was the oldest of three children born to Karethe (Hille) and Rudolph Westwig. The family immigrated to America when Nathalie was 13 years old and settled in Portland, where relatives from Norway were living.
Already a shy girl, she found herself in a new land, new culture and new language. She worked hard to learn English. She did well, learned the language, made friends, and graduated from Portland High School. She then attended Gorham Normal School for two years earning her teaching credentials. She did tutoring for some families in Portland, then taught English to immigrants, before taking a position in Wiscasset. She taught school at the Lowelltown one-room schoolhouse for two years before meeting Mark Caton. They married in 1937 and then started their family.
Nathalie enjoyed the privacy of her yard, her flower gardens, and her birds, especially her favorite the Chickadees. She loved trips to the greenhouses to pick out flowers and enjoyed her last one at age 97. She also loved that her home was close to the shore of the Sheepscot River and often made trips there with her kids and many others from the neighborhood. She loved the water – being on it and in it and she loved swimming. She was a good swimmer herself and seemed to love a graceful backstroke.
Her husband Mark died in 1980. They were lucky to have had several trips together, one to Bermuda to visit a daughter, two trips to San Francisco to visit another daughter and several local trips with the Lincoln Club.
She continued living at home with her cat Lenny, whom she adopted in 1984 and who lived for 15 years. She adored him to the end of her life.
Nathalie enjoyed many activities with her sister, brother and children – shopping, trips to the beach or lake, concerts, and skating shows. She traveled to Bermuda, San Francisco and Norway with her sister Wally, the Norway trip being the highlight of her life. While still in her home she enjoyed her favorite soaps, ice skating shows and CNN.
She was proud of her Norwegian heritage and could write and speak Norwegian (with her dictionary); up until age 97 she was still writing her Christmas cards to Norway.
Nathalie could still seem shy, but could be quite outspoken when necessary – at times we just called her feisty. She was fiercely independent, sometimes to a fault: after healing from a broken hip she resisted using a cane or a walker for a few years. Even after she agreed to the cane, we’d often find it outside on a tree branch, fence post or the clothesline.
She left her home at age 97, spent about two years at Amenity Manor in Topsham, then almost four months at Dionne Commons in Brunswick.
She celebrated her 100th birthday at Amenity Manor on March 18 with a small group of family and friends.
She was predeceased by her husband, Mark; sister, Wally Westwig; and brother, Christian Westwig.
She’s survived by her son, Stan (Nancy) Caton of West Bath; daughters, Carolyn (Richard) Deschaine of Westport Island and Julie Maranan of Portland; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; several cousins, nieces, and nephews; and many relatives in Norway.
Memorial service 11 a.m., Fri., Aug. 6 at Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High St., Bath. Gathering of family and friends will follow at Corliss Street Baptist Church Annex, 396 Middle St., Bath.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 300, Topsham, ME 04086.
Condolences may be made online at www.daiglefuneralhome.com.
