Service Details
Visitation will be in the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral home on Friday, July 25th, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. A short prayer service celebrating Mary Catherine’s life will follow at 5:00 pm with Deacon Eric Sewell officiating.
Memorial Suggestions
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St Dominic and their mission partners. https://www.racinedominicans.org/sisters/support-our-sisters.cfm
Mary Catherine O’Connor was born to Francis and Mary J. (Ranke) O’Connor on April 1, 1934. She entered the order of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Saint Catherine of Siena at age 13 and faithfully served in that community for more than 20 years. Both as a Dominican Sister and in her life thereafter, she embodied the stated mission of the community: “We commit to being a contemplative presence as we collaborate with Earth and all peoples, responding to social injustices with voice, action, and resources.”
She graduated from St. Catherine’s High School in Racine and completed her BA at Dominican College. She held Master’s degrees in French and Linguistics from University of Toronto.
She married Ken Cashion on June 28, 1969 and they enjoyed nearly 55 years sharing their passions of teaching, lifelong learning, traveling the world, and time with their daughter and family until his death in 2024.
She began her career as an educator as an elementary classroom teacher. She then taught French at Dominican College (which became known as the College of Racine) until it closed in 1975. After leaving the convent, she began a long career with RUSD, teaching English as a Second Language and eventually serving as the coordinator of the ESL programs throughout the district until her retirement in 1997.
Despite a busy career and being a devoted mother, she also volunteered in many capacities. She worked tirelessly for causes focused on the rights, education and well-being of women and immigrants and coordinated many local school board and political campaigns, instilling in her daughter and grandchildren the importance of community service. She was proud to serve leadership roles in the local chapters of the American Association of University Women and Phi Delta Kappa and to be part of Chapter DS of the PEO Sisterhood, a group of wonderful women who shared her interests and values and were some of her dearest friends.
Of her many successful roles, her favorite was being a grandmother. She was a fun and frequent visitor to her grandchildren’s classrooms, facilitated epic birthday parties and “helped” the kids make a mountain of her signature almond brittle every December, which was a coveted teacher holiday gift at every school they attended.
She is survived by her daughter Mary Faith (Michael) Terkildsen, grandchildren Catherine and Andrew Terkildsen, sisters Patricia O’Connor and Marilyn McDonell and many cherished nephews, nieces and friends. She was preceeded in death by her spouse J. Kenneth Cashion, parents Francis O’Connor and Mary J. Niemchak, brothers Johnny and Billy O’Connor and sisters Dolores Hahn and JoAnn Sind.
Visitation will be in the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral home on Friday, July 25th, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. A short prayer service celebrating Mary Catherine’s life will follow at 5:00 pm with Deacon Eric Sewell officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St Dominic and their mission partners. https://www.racinedominicans.org/sisters/support-our-sisters.cfm
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Primrose Senior Living where she and Ken lived from 2020 until the time of their deaths. We extend profound gratitude to the compassionate team at Hospice Alliance and to dear friend and caregiver Kim Glenzer, who helped both Mary Catherine and Ken in their final days. Kim accompanied Mary Catherine to Sunday Masses at Siena Center, something which brought her great peace and the joy of reuniting with her Dominican classmates and old friends.
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