This is a listing of notifications the Parramatta Marist Old Boys Union has received of the passing of Old Boys. “Vale” is latin for farewell and “Fortior Ito” means go forward with strength.
Click on the Old Boy’s Name for further details and a brief biography.
If we do not have the date of passing then the last day of the known month or year is used.
Please use the comments section at the bottom of the page or the contact form on this website to provide further details.
You can search surnames alphabetically. Click Clear Search on the right-hand side to return to the complete list
The tables immediately below are sorted by Class Year and Year of Passing respectively.
Sorted by Class Year, latest to earliest
Sorted by year of passing, latest to earliest.
Cathy Furey
A non-teaching staff member at Parramatta Marist High filling a variety of roles 2008 – 2020
Biographical Info
On Sunday 9 August 2020, the Parramatta Marist community was deeply saddened by the passing of Mrs Cathy Furey, a beloved member of staff for more than a decade. Today, we as a school community joined with Cathy’s family and friends in celebrating her life at her funeral, held in our La Valla School Chapel.
Cathy served Parramatta Marist in a number of different capacities, in the school Canteen, the Hospitality Department and in more recent years our school Library, everyday bringing her incredible sense of humour and hearty laugh, and always wearing a smile on her face.
Cathy was very much the embodiment of the Marist Charisms that are so central to our school. Her love of her work was infectious, going about her days with no desire or wish for praises and plaudits. She spent every second trying to make the schooling experience of our students better, and even after her passing, the books that she has ordered for our library continue to pour in. She was an indispensable part of Parramatta Marist, contributing so much work behind the scenes and always treating the staff and students as members of her own family.
We ask all of you to please keep Cathy, her family and her friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
We will miss you Cathy, you will always be with us
Chris was a good friend when I attended parramatta Marist. I used to run into him around the courts, he never seemed to change always a gentleman.
I’ve got Vale John Cassidy’s picture but how do I email it to you ????
Frank O’Sullivan
Vale John Cassidy LC 1962 Died 28th August 2019
John Cassidy and I worked on a religious organisation in our days at Marist Brothers Parramatta. It was to spread the message of Our Lady of Fatima that is, world peace through prayer, the Blue Army. It was a very strange coincidence that it was one of Cardinal Gilroy’s pet projects, but we didn’t know that at the time. The cardinal had set the organisation up in Sydney under Professor F G Coleman Sydney University and Father Cameron head of the Augustinian order in Sydney.
From 1959 – 1962 I did latin classes at St Mary’s Cathedral, late on Friday afternoon in preparation to enter, my studies for the priesthood. I ran into Cardinal Gilroy on many occasions as he did confessions 5pm to 6pm and I trapped him either going/coming in the presbytery grounds. So the long and short of it all is, that I dragged our John C along with me to say Hi and explain the difficulties we were having with Monsignor McGovern in conducting our Blue Army prayer meetings in St Pats at Parramatta. He smiled at us both & said would we from time to time give him a progress report on our work with the Blue Army. John and I had a few brief encounters with the cardinal & strangely we never had any further problems with the cranky old monsignor.
John Cassidy was a very humble man and would never have repeated this story but having been befriended by a cardinal, lived in a village named after the cardinal and being buried from the chapel on Friday 6th September 2019 that bears the cardinal’s name, I felt it appropriate to tell the story.
Frank O’Sullivan