Catherine E. (Tesorero) Ravens
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of former WHOI Volunteer Catherine E. (Tesorero) Ravens on December 22, 2025. She was 95.
Catherine was born in Dorchester, MA, the daughter of John J. Tesorero and Elizabeth M. (Pontuso) Tesorero. She grew up in West Roxbury, MA, where her family moved when she was aged six.
She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 1947 and from Burdett College in 1949, and worked for the Tyler and Reynolds law firm, then for the Bemis Bros. Bag Company.
Catherine had been the devoted wife of Fred J. Ravens, Jr., to whom she had been married for 69 years. Catherine married Fred in 1951, and together they raised six children.
After marriage, she worked for a time for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK, where Fred was also stationed. They returned to the Boston area to raise their children when Fred got a job with the Corps of Engineers there. After raising their six children in Norwood, she returned to work for the Corps from 1977 to 1992, where she was editor of the Yankee Engineer, a publication of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England Division, based in Waltham, MA. While there, she earned an A.S in English in 1989 and a B.S. in English in 1992, both from Northeastern University.
She and Fred retired to Falmouth in 1992, where Catherine was active in the Newcomers Club, the Encore Club, and the Falmouth Garden Club. Cathy and her husband Fred volunteered at the WHOI Peanut Butter Club for many years. She also served as Town Meeting Member for 25 years.
Cathy took classes in painting while still in Norwood, and was active in many sports, including tennis, golfing, biking, boating, and cross-country skiing. She was also an avid bridge player. She was a passionate lover of dogs, of whom she owned many beloved pets over the years.
She doted on her 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. She was a great advocate of education. A devoted Roman Catholic, she was an active member of St. Anthony’s Church in East Falmouth from the time of her retirement to that of her passing.
Catherine was the proud mother of Fred J. Ravens III and Joan of East Falmouth, David Ravens of Sanbornton, NH, Jean Phalen and David of Needham, Thomas Ravens of Anchorage, AK, and Robert Ravens-Seger and Ellen of East Granby, CT. She was predeceased by her daughter, Margaret (Peggy) Perkins.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Anthony’s Church, 167 East Falmouth Hwy., East Falmouth, MA, on January 23, 2026, at 11 a.m., followed by Burial alongside her beloved husband, Fred, at the National Cemetery in Bourne, MA. As an expression of sympathy, donations can be made to Falmouth Service Center, 611 Gifford Street, Falmouth, MA, 02540, or to St. Anthony’s Church, 167 East Falmouth Highway, East Falmouth, MA, 02536. To send online condolences, to sign the online guestbook or for directions, please visit www.chapmanfuneral.com Chapman Funerals and Cremations, Falmouth, MA.
Information for this obituary is from the Legacy Website