Katherine "Cathe" Deir

Cathe Deir, 80, passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of Sunday, September 10, 2023 after a short illness. 

The second child - and first of four daughters - of Katherine (Wertheim, Larkin) Eisenman and Clement Larkin, Cathe was born on December 4th, 1942 in New York City.  Much of her youth was spent on the Jersey Shore where she attended Star of the Sea Academy.  Precocious from a young age, Cathe was a natural leader and throughout her life “the straw that stirred the drink”.  A talented singer and performer, the spotlight sought her, and she filled every room she entered with her sparkling personality, bright smile, sense of fun, empathy, fearlessness and genuine interest in having a positive impact on others.   It was this magical combination of traits that attracted a young Neil Deir, who pursued her with characteristic tenacity.  60 years of happy marriage, multiple business endeavors, three children and six grandchildren later Neil was with Cathe through it all, every step of the way.  Together Cathe and Neil moved to Alexandria, Virginia in the late ‘70s, and later to Hilton Head Island South Carolina where they opened two restaurants.  They traveled the world together, from Neil’s beloved Ireland to Asia and all points in between.  Partners in business as well as life, Cathe was in fact an accomplished entrepreneur who was instrumental in the success of Healthcare Everywhere, a national healthcare staffing agency, among other business achievements.  She worked into her 80th year with the same drive and resolve exhibited throughout her life.  Her relentless positivity and ability to forgive and forget were a reflection of her deep Catholic faith, which sustained her to the end. 

While she was in many ways larger than life, her greatest legacy will be in the way she put herself second in caring for her family and friends.  Her influence on those around her was outsized indeed.  Cathe is survived by Neil, their children Mary Katherine “Kay” (Joe) Green, Sean (Linda) Deir, Brian Deir, and her grandchildren Jay (Bri) Green, Larkin Green, Ashley (Daniel) Mills, Emma Green, Gabi Deir and Kyle Deir.  She will also be dearly missed by her surviving siblings Larry Larkin, Barbara Burgun, Linda Larkin and Judy Williams. 

A funeral mass will be held on October 21st, 2023 at 10:30 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 31 St. Gregory Drive, Bluffton South Carolina 29909. 

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