Janet M. Cataldo

Janet M. Cataldo (formerly Janet M. Keefe), 94, of Bedford, NH, died March 15, 2025, after a brief period of failing health.

She was born June 16, 1930, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Francis Mansfield and Loretta (Sullivan) Mansfield. She was raised in Lowell and was a graduate of St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing, after which she became a licensed registered nurse.

Over the course of her nursing career, she worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Lowell, MA and at Sacred Heart Hospital (now Catholic Medical Center) and Eliot Hospital, in Manchester, NH. She was also active in Democratic Party politics over the course of her lifetime, working as a volunteer in presidential campaigns from John F. Kennedy to Howard Dean.

Most importantly, she was the devoted, loving mother of eight children, 20 grandchildren, four great grandchildren and at the center of an even larger extended family and across legions of friends. As a young girl, she was nicknamed “Gigi” and as an older woman she became known as “Memaw”.

Known for her welcoming smile, her tremendous sense of humor, her endless aphorisms passed down from her mother, and her loving, generous spirit, Memaw will be dearly missed and long remembered by her family and friends.

She was predeceased by her husband, Colonel Joseph R. Cataldo, MD, her brother, Quentin Mansfield, who died in the Second World War, her brother, Raymond Mansfield, and her son, James T. Keefe, Jr.

She is survived by her sister, Anne (Sister Mary of the Redemption), of Corpus Christie, TX; seven of her eight children, Joseph F. Keefe (Shay) of York, ME, Quentin W. Keefe (Maryjane) of York, ME, Thomas W. Keefe of Bow, NH, Paul M. Keefe (Karen) of Goffstown, NH, Anne O’Neil Farley (James) of Manchester, NH, Maura L. Keefe of Washington, DC and Patrick M. Keefe (Jennie) of Hooksett, NH, as well as by her son Jim’s widow, Cara McCarthy Keefe of Boston, MA; and by her 20 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

SERVICES: Calling hours will be held at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester, NH on Friday, March 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Webster Street, Manchester on Saturday, March 29, at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Bowman, 24 Old Bedford Rd, Bedford, NH, 03110, or at www.bowmanplace.org . Her family would like to thank the staff at Bowman Place for their attentive, loving care during her stay there and over the final months of her life.