Catherine B. Assad, 69, passed away peacefully at her residence in her beloved city of Fall River, MA on November 29, 2017. Born in Fall River, she was a proud daughter of the late Shay Deeb and Olimpia (Macedo) Assad.

To everyone who knew Catherine; Natalie, her daughter, was the light of Catherine's eye. She taught her the most basic tenets of life: to treat others with respect, dignity, and humility. Catherine and Natalie's mother/daughter relationship surpassed any other relationship since Natalie's birth. Catherine became a single parent and, in tow at any meetings or school functions, was Natalie. Daily, Catherine demonstrated to Natalie; her devout faith in the Church; her unwavering dedication to her students; her untiring love for her beloved Flint neighborhood and her staunch loyalty to friends.

Catherine was a proud native of "The Flint" since her birth, and was educated in the Fall River Public Schools for grades K-8.  She then attended Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth, from where she graduated in 1966. Following her graduation, Catherine entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Novitiate in Ipswich, MA where she was a  postulant from 1966 to 1967; then served as a novice sister, teaching at St Jerome's School, Weymouth, MA until 1969.  After her canonical school was completed, she attended Emmanuel College in Boston, earning her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1972, while remaining in her service as a novice.

In 1972, she became a sister and served in the Spanish Apostolate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston while teaching at St. Mary's High School in Cambridge. During this time, Catherine was taught a maxim which became her life's motto: "He who is aware is responsible."  She embodied this motto everyday of her life.

After leaving the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1973, Catherine returned to Fall River to begin her teaching career at the Fall River Girls Vocational High School as a substitute teacher.  In 1974, she was appointed as a secondary English teacher by the late Robert P. Nagle, superintendent of schools to the Fall River Public School System.  During her tenure at B.M.C. Durfee High School, she taught Freshman English and Senior AP English to many students who recalled Ms. Assad for her strict standards of firmness, fairness, and consistency. Ms. Assad was well respected by her fellow teachers, coworkers, students, and administrators, for her demonstration of policies that instilled old school principles to modern day teaching. Catherine insisted that each male student remain standing at the onset of each class until each female student arrived and was seated in their assigned seats. Additionally, she demanded her students stood for the presence of any dignitaries, elders, or visitors upon entering her classroom, Room 393.

While at Durfee, she became the advisor for the National Honor Society reiterating the basic principles of scholarship, service, leadership, and character to each student that was inducted into the prestigious society. Catherine was highly concerned with students giving their all to their school and community at large. She wanted students to sacrifice their personal interests to yield to the needs of others and insisted that students demonstrate respect, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship in each of their daily actions while striving to make the right choices daily.

Ms. Assad was instrumental in coordinating an "Adopt-a-School" program with the Fall River Police Department at Durfee. She also produced the WHTB Hilltopper and Teen Weekly Radio Show from 1994 to 1998.  In 1995, she received the BMC Durfee High School Student Government Unsung Hero Award. Catherine was honored to be involved with the creation of One Earth, One People Under the Sun to promote cultural diversity in the City of Fall River. She assisted in coordinating the Durfee Peaceful Coalition. Catherine enjoyed each day of her teaching career and was humbled when former students would greet her at shopping centers, local restaurants, or community events. She retired in 2007, after serving the youth of Fall River for 34 years.

In 1988/89, Catherine was heartbroken to see that the neighborhood she grew up in, the Flint section of Fall River, had fallen victim to society's social ills. She had been gifted with a book by Margaret Mead, which stated: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has." With this thought in mind, Catherine began the Flint Village West Neighborhood Association to assist in combating the ills with which the Flint had been plagued, by asking the Fall River City Public Safety Committee to meet at the Chor Bishop Eid Senior Apartments in the summer of 1990. Ms. Assad then became president of the Flint Village neighborhood association and maintained that position until 2007.

Because of her neighborhood leadership, many neighborhoods in the City branched from her tree of tending to one's own neighborhood. She became referred to as the "Mother of all Neighborhoods" and her steadfast  commitment to her beloved Flint Neighborhood grew to include her beloved city of Fall River, awarding her the Fall River Chamber of Commerce Public Safety Award in 1991; Business & Professional Women's Award in 1992; Fall River Five Cents Savings Bank Hometown Hero in 1993; Massachusetts Neighborhood Crime Watch Commission Hero in 1994; City of Fall River Person of the Month in 1994; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Volunteer of the Year Aware in 1998; and Woman of the Year from the Standard Times of  New Bedford in 2000. She was also a member of Altrusa International.

In addition to her untiring dedication to her community at large and her students at Durfee, Catherine was an active parishioner and communicant at her childhood parish, St. Anthony of the Desert Maronite Catholic Church in Fall River, where she had been a member of the church choir since her childhood; member of the Lebanese American Ladies' Auxiliary; past officer of the Blessed Woman's Guild; advisor for the Maronite Youth Organization (MYO); and CCD teacher.  She also enjoyed the yearly Easter tradition of "popping eggs" at the church albeit utilizing a wooden or glass egg to ensure her defeating her competition.

Catherine is survived by: her loving daughter, Natalie Assad-Heinbuch and her husband Chief Donald W. Heinbuch of Stoney Beach, MD; her siblings, Shay D. Assad (wife-Christine) of Marion, MA, Debra Assad Daley (husband-Kevin) of Little Compton, RI, and Gregory C. Assad (wife-Cheryl) of Yarmouth, MA; several nieces, Carolyn Norris of Florida, "Mimi" Assad of LA, Christine Assad of MA, Lauren Daley of RI, Siobhan Cooper of Ohio, Shahla Assad of MA; and one nephew, Shay "Shady" Assad of MA. (She was also Godmother to Mimi, Lauren, Shahla, and Shay); several maternal and paternal cousins, Donald Rogers, Gary Achou, Joseph Assad, David Assad, Sheila Assad, Linda Assad Howard, Sandy Hallal Grimo , Donna Hallal Marsula, all of Fall River, Richard Rogers of Florida, Maryanne Macedo Spardland of California, James "Jimbo" Hallal  of Assonet, MA, Nazera Duddy Vieira of Berkley, MA, and Candace Assad Nowell of Taunton, MA. She was also cousin of the late Maryanne Hallal and Cynthia Assad Good. She was predeceased by her service dog on 11/11/2017, Theodore James Medeiros, who brought her much joy. For the past four years, Catherine was privately cared for by Christina Viveiros, who Catherine referred to as her personal 911.

Her Funeral Mass was celebrated on Monday, December 4th, in St. Anthony of the Desert Church followed by her committal at Notre Dame Cemetery.