Catherine Mary Harlin

Catherine Mary Harlin of Bluffton, SC and formerly New York City, died last Sunday, August 15 on the Feast of the Assumption. She passed peacefully in her home, surrounded in her last days by family and close friends.

Catherine lived an extraordinary life. Born in 1937 to Irish-immigrant parents, she grew up in the Bronx, NY, where she loved swimming in the sea and school -- especially math. In 1959 she graduated from Good Counsel College College magna cum laude with a BS in Math. She was hired right out of school by IBM and trained as a computer programmer, then a brand new profession. She went on to work as a programmer and systems architect, with great satisfaction, for more than 40 years. She also found time to raise 5 children along with her husband Patrick. After their retirement, she and Patrick took time to travel the world, eventually settling down in Riverbend in Bluffton. Catherine loved her life there, becoming involved in a wide range of activities including belly dancing, water-aerobics, bike riding, highway cleanup, dining out, book exchange, computer club and swimming. She was an active member of St. Gregory the Great parish and traveled to Rome with their Liturgical Dance group to meet Pope Benedict XVI. She made many close friends in Riverbend and Sun City, and many of these friends were with her in her final days, as were her children.

She leaves behind her husband Patrick Harlin of Bluffton, SC; five children: Eileen, Brian, Sarah, Sean and Kevin; two daughters-in-law: Jessie Harlin and Alicia Chang; and three grandchildren: Kaylie, Mia and Mateo. Also her sisters Sheila Kern of Cleveland, OH and Maureen Foley of New Milford, NJ. She was preceded in death by her brother Timothy O’Sullivan of Littleton, CO.

Funeral mass will be held Saturday, August 21, at 10:30am at St. Gregory the Great church in Bluffton.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Gregory the Great church in Bluffton or Homestead Hope Foundation (hospice) in Roswell, GA.