Catherine Jane Sanborn

Portland-Cathy Sevigny Sanborn, passed away peacefully on April 5, 2023 after a four year battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends until the end.

Her beautiful life took her from Erie, Pennsylvania where she was born on October 23, 1957, the eldest daughter of John and Lucille Sevigny, to Massachusetts and then back to Maine when she was 9 years old. She took her older sister role seriously, shepherding her sisters Cindy Sevigny and Laurie Sevigny through their childhoods and adolescence. She attended Deering High School, graduating in 1975. From there she went on to the University of Maine Orono and to nursing school at Westbrook College. She would go on to have a career at UNUM for 20 years.

Her choice of nursing as a career was fortuitous as she met her amazing husband Gregory Sanborn when he was a paramedic and she worked in the ER of the Osteopathic Hospital of Maine. And thus began a 40+ year long love affair. Greg, son Nathan Sanborn and daughter Rebekah Sanborn were the focus of her life. Her daughter-in-law Heather Thompson Sanborn and her grandson Gavin then became a part of those she loved and took care of with tenderness and dedication.

Cathy loved her immediate and extended family with tenacity. She was an avid gardener, dancer, traveler, reader, seamstress, sunbather and cook. She and Greg shared a busy and full life together. They traveled throughout the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean with friends Liz Delano and Don Wormell and Gloria Thomas and Ken Walo. They also enjoyed years of skiing at Sugarloaf and years of lake time at their camp on Crescent Lake in Raymond with friends and family. Cathy embraced her nieces Liz, Hig and Hwida, welcoming them into her family with open arms.

Cathy’s laugh and smile were unmatched. Her unwavering courage in the face of her illness gave strength to those who loved her and saw her through the difficult days. We continue to draw on her strength now. Cathy is survived by numerous friends, family and cousins. A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held at the Portland Country Club, 11 Foreside Road, Falmouth, ME, on April 22, 2023, from 4pm-7pm.