In memory of Sara Catanese: 'The Florida Tech family already misses her'

A funeral service for Sara Catanese is scheduled for Monday after the 81-year-old former first lady of Florida Tech passed away in her sleep Thursday.

She served alongside her husband, former Florida Tech president Anthony Catanese, for about 14 years at the Melbourne university before the couple retired in 2016.

A release sent out by the school to the Florida Tech community announced her death, saying she had died after a brief illness. The service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Chapel in Melbourne, with calling hours from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. the prior day at the same location.

Florida Tech President John Nicklow remembered her fondly in the release.

"Sara’s gentle spirit and generosity were keenly felt anytime I was in her company," Nicklow said. "The Florida Tech family already misses her. Our deepest sympathies to Tony and the entire Catanese family."

Catanese spent her childhood in Fairhope, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended University of Georgia. She and her husband lived in Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, New York, Boca Raton, Gainesville and finally, Melbourne.

The Cataneses came to Florida Tech in 2002 from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where Anthony Catanese served as president from 1990 to 2002. At the time, Florida Tech had only about 4,000 students. By the time the couple retired, enrollment in undergraduate and graduate programs had increased to nearly 16,000.

While at Florida Tech, Anthony Catanese worked to grow Florida Tech's reach throughout Brevard, helping to build its pilot training facilities, the Foosaner Art Museum and more student housing. It was under him that the university also began offering online courses.

The email sent to the Florida Tech community spoke of the highlights of Sara Catenese's life, from her positions as first lady at both Florida Tech and Florida Atlantic University to her involvement with local charities like Health First Foundation, Indialantic Rotary, St. Stephens Way, King Center for the Performing Arts and more.

And she was remembered for the simpler pleasures in her life, too: her love of playing bridge at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club, and her friendships at the Steel Magnolias Group.

Catanese is survived by Anthony; her sons and daughters-in-law Mark and Lori Catanese and Mark and Kim Ingles; and her grandsons Anthony, Robert and Dominic Catanese.

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida Tech's former first lady Sara Catanese dies at age 81