Katherine Bossio

 In January, Caterina Battaglia, known to most of us as Katherine Bossio, celebrated her birthday. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren traveled from across the US or video chatted to join in the festivities of another milestone in her journey that started when she was born 106 years ago on January 22 nd , 1919, in Capaci, Sicily. She would often joke with friends about how she learned how to walk on the boat coming to the US. Her family passed through Ellis Island and raised her in Michigan. A decade later she was sitting on her front porch and saw one of the new boys in the neighborhood. He was from Consenza, Italy, passed through Ellis Island himself, and his name was Alexander Dominic Bossio. 

 Katherine and Alexander would marry and have two daughters, Arlene and Karen, before embarking on the most adventurous of steps on her journey—moving to Homestead, Florida, and farming (mostly cucumbers) on the outskirts of the Everglades. In Florida, she would give birth to their other daughters, Mary, Linda, Katherine, Teresa, Christine, and Lisa. Being a farmer is tough. Being the wife of a farmer and mother of daughters is even tougher. But Katherine was strong. She ensured that the family would never go without, taking on extra jobs as needed, and working in the fields alongside Alex and their daughters when the crops failed. After many adventures, they moved to Georgia to be close to their children and grandchildren.

 Alex’s health diminished, but Katherine persevered, taking care of her husband until Alex required professional care. She was with him daily until his passing. When her health began to fade, her daughters took months away from their lives and family to live with her on rotation until she needed professional care. God provided the opportunity for her to stay at Southwest Christian Care. 

 On February 4 th , 2025, she got to meet Jesus and be reunited with Alex and other loved ones. 

 Katherine was the embodiment of the Hebrew concept of Hesed—a fierce and sacrificial love. She was a constant, firm foundation for the Bossio family. Alongside Alex, she encouraged her daughters to be the unique person God made them and showed them how to traverse the world as independent thinkers while being grounded in the truth of Christ. She loved to read, listen to Dean Martin, and cook. Katherine was a stalwart example to her daughters, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren how to navigate changing times, incredible hardship, as well as the good times, with grace, poise, class, and a humble joy of life that is rarely seen today. 

 She’s survived by her eight daughters, Arlene, Karen, Mary, Linda, Katherine, Teresa, Christine, and Lisa. Together with their husbands, children, grandchildren, and a host of other family, they will celebrate her life February 15 th at Prospect Church at Oak Hill in Covington, Georgia. There will be a visitation from 10:00am and the service will begin at 11:00am with lunch afterwards. 

 In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations can be made to: 

Southwest Christian Care which is a not-for-profit hospice facility that took care of Katherine: https://www.swchristiancare.org/support 

Her Granddaughter Lauren Hatch’s fund to raise money for IVF treatment. Lauren plans to name her daughter in honor of Katherine: http://hatchingamiracle.com/donate/ 

Her grandson Christiaan Funkhouser’s work as an urban missionary and campus minister at Emory University through Bread Coffeehouse: https://www.breadcoffeehouse.org/christiaan