Hannah Catherine Ladd, 83, known to all who knew her as Catherine, died Friday, January 23, 2015 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, CT. She was born on November 12, 1931 in Portchester, NY to Joseph and Agnes (McNaught) Smith.
The family moved to Fishers Island, NY in January of 1934. She graduated from Fishers Island High School, and then attended Keuka College in New York, completing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. Catherine worked several years as a registered nurse, and then for non-profit organizations. She was Executive Director of the Voluntary Action Center, Director of the American Heart Association of Eastern CT and served at the Norwich Historical Society. Later in her career she was the Executive Director of the Connecticut Nurses Association and of the Greater Hartford Tourism Board.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Peter Doroshevich, and by her second husband, Dr. Richard A. Ladd, whom she married in 1977. She is survived by her four sons, Mark, David and Thomas Doroshevich, and James Ladd, as well as her daughter-in-law Karen Ladd, along with three grandchildren, Meagan, Timothy and Kevin Doroshevich. She is also survived by her two step-daughters, Sussanah Bolen and Rebecca Rochester and her sister, Mary Jean Pelham, along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members.
There will be a reception to celebrate her life from 2PM to 5 P.M. on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at The Harbor House Restaurant at the Inn at Mystic, 3 Williams Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either the Connecticut Humane Society at 169 Old Colchester Road, Quaker Hill, CT 06375, or Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut, 227 Dunham Street, Norwich, CT 06360. A private burial is planned.
Published in Norwich Bulletin on January 28, 2015
