Sara Catanese’s funeral is scheduled for Monday after the 81-year-old former first lady of Florida Tech University died in her sleep on Thursday.
She and her husband, former Florida Tech president Anthony Catanese, worked at the University of Melbourne for about 14 years until the couple retired in 2016.
A release sent by the school to the Florida Tech community announced her death and said she passed away after a short illness. Her funeral will be held at 10am on Monday at Brownlee-Maxwell Funeral Chapel in Melbourne, with calling hours the previous day from 4pm to 7pm at the same location.
Florida Tech President John Nicklow remembered her fondly in a release.
“Sarah’s kind spirit and generosity were felt whenever I was with her,” Nicklow said. “Her family at Florida Tech misses her already. Our deepest sympathies go out to Tony and the entire Catanian family.”
Catanese spent his childhood in Fairhope, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended the University of Georgia. She and her husband lived in Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, New York, Boca Raton, Gainesville, and finally Melbourne.
The Catanese came to Florida Tech in 2002 from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. At Florida Atlantic University, Anthony Catanese served as president from his 1990 to his 2002 academic year. 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.
During his time at Florida Tech, Anthony Catanese helped build Florida Tech’s pilot training facility, Fousaner Art Museum, and more student housing, helping to expand Florida Tech’s reach throughout Brevard. It was also under him that the university began offering online courses.
The email sent to the Florida Tech community includes: In her capacity as First Lady of Florida Tech and Florida Atlantic University, Health First Foundation, Indiantic Rotary, St. Stephen’s Way, King Performing Arts Center, and more.
And she is also remembered for life’s simple pleasures. Eau Gallie yachts her love for playing bridge in her club and her friendships in her group Magnolia Steel.
Catanese is survived by Anthony; her son and daughter-in-law Mark and Lori Catanese, Mark and Kim Ingles; and her grandchildren Anthony, Robert and Dominic Catanese.
Finch Walker is an education reporter for Florida Today. Contact Walker at [email protected]. X: @_finch walker.