Cate had many friends from different moments in her life and work. We invite you to share any memories by using the reply function below.
Cate had many friends from different moments in her life and work. We invite you to share any memories by using the reply function below.
CATE KLEIMAN 1952-2016 
Cate was just one of those people that could instantly make me smile. She would tell her stories in that unqiue ‘Cate’ sounding intonation, usually accompanied by her gravelly and slightly naughty sounding laugh and which without a doubt, would always have me crying with tears of laughter.
Her stories were wonderful and often seemed comical whether she intended them to be or not. She was a highly intelligent (I’m sure she would argue otherwise as she could also be very modest, haha) lady with a hugely creative flair, but who was also (and another reason I loved her) a complete straight shooter “What you see is what you get” I remember Cate telling me once. She was also incredibly kind. As a stressed out student social worker, she would always reach out with the invitation of a chat if needed. As a social worker, we co-worked together and she again was always ready to lend an ear and offer some advice.
During our “most necessary” ciggie breaks we would sometimes grumble together about the pressures and stresses we were enduring (often deciding that the only solution to ease our woes, was most definately some chocolate), but without a doubt she would have me laughing as we walked back in. Her enthuasiam for life sometimes had me blushing with my own laziness – she would come into work in the mornings fresh from her 50 or so laps in the pool (Always exceptionally accessorised, and in the most fabulous dresses darlings!) and then be ready to shimmy her stuff at zumba! What a gal! I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to know Cate for the time that I did, and will miss her terribly. Sending love to all of her family, Shoshie xx
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Dear Avner
I am so sorry and sad to hear this news. I knew Cate since 1971 in Stirling where we shared several flats together. The world is a worse place with her loss.
My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.
Love Vicki xx
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Remember when she was a volunteer on Gal on .she was my bridge partner when I was starting to play. I was not very good but she put up with me and we laughed off my mistakes . I am sorry to learn of her death .I loves seeing her when ever she came to the kibbutz always a good word and a smile for everyone. I sent my deep condolences to her family especially to Avner and the children and my friend Liz .may her memory be a blessing and may she finally find peace and have no more pain .Yona
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אני מאוד מקווה שאבנר יוכל לתרגם לאנגלית…הכרנו את קטי עוד כחברה של אבנר ידידנו עוד משרותנו הצבאי בלהקת השריון ואח”כ מנגינה משותפת בקריירה באזרחות.לאחר מכן משהוקמו המשפחות שמרנו על קשר הדוק עד שעברו להתגורר באנגליה ומאז לא פגשנו נזכור אותה כבחורה נעימה,חברותית בעלת ידע רב וכנראה מומחית בתחום עבודתה.קבלנו בצער עמוק את הידיעה על מחלתה וכעת על מותה.אנו מבכים את לכתה בעודה צעירה ומחזקים את המשפחה בכאבם.
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Cathy and I were friends at various different stages of our lives, first in Scotland where I met her in 1970s, later when we both lived in London, and later still in Tel Aviv and Rishon when Gillie was a baby. She was always wonderful and fun company, as well as a great host, with delicious food always available. I also remember her generosity, bringing me a huge Easter egg on our first meeting, because even tho she didn’t know me, she knew I would be there. Many years later, on my 60th birthday, Cathy gave me 60 presents, each carefully chosen to represent places I had lived and worked. What a fabulous present. What a fabulous person. What a fabulous friend. I am so glad to have known her, and so very sorry she has gone. My love to Avner, Gillie and Tal. Carrie xxx
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Carrie, how delightful to find you here after all these years! I knew Cathy at Stirling University. After we graduation I was leaving to go to Israel. On the morning of my flight, Cathy brought you,Carrie Jaffe, to see me and Carrie recomended Kibbutz Galon. I followed her directions and met my husband, Menachem there. Later I had a house in Abu Dis, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Cathy came to visit on her first trip toGalon. How our lives move in circles. We met up a few years ago on one of our visits to UK. I was happy to see her still so vibrant, so full of the joy of life. I often thought how fortunate were those whom she served to have the support of such a generous and loving woman. We kept in the briefest contact all those years, just Christmas cards often as not, with family news included but whenever we did meet up again it was as though no time had passed. Her bright star shines, I still hear her hearty laugh.
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PS – thank you Carrie – you gave me directions to a whole new life!
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Dear Avner, Gili, Tal, and all the family. I knew Cate since 1971 in the kibbutz. She was always full of life and laugh. In 1981 we all lived in Telaviv, she asked me to teach her Hebrew. She was a smart and quick learner, and we would laugh a lot during the lesson. I know she was a source of strength for Avner, and every one around her. She will always be remembered with full of her colors and life. Daphna.
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I worked with Cate at Adoption Team. We have so many hilarious and beautiful memories of Cate…tears mix with laughter nowadays…she is strongly present among us and so missed in the same time.
Cate was a straight talker, true to herself and her values. It became a joke among us that the main reason why the management refused a tv crew to do a documentary about our team was Cate…she would have said as things were 😊
Oh gosh Cate, how I miss your jokes! She was the most fabulous story teller, vibrant and hilarious on so many levels. My most vivid memory of Cate is her recreating funny walks in a joke about a man with a shrapnel in his leg….it was in the middle of a cafe with all the people watching…and it was annoying I could never tell them well enough with my polish twang…
Oh, and you took the mick out of my polishness too my dear friend and it was good! I remember speaking to my mother on the phone, and she could just randomly call Avner and start speaking jidish just to prove the point she could speak another language too, no….just to make us laugh really! It was never a boring day with Cate in the office.
She was one of my most committed zumba pupils. But I could not watch her dancing, it would have cracked me up and I would have forgotten my routine. She was a full on dancer, committed to her “being” in a moment with her body and soul. Oh, how I miss dancing with you around the office….merengue of some sort was our favourite…
She was knowledgeable and sofisticated lady too. Ever so colour coodinated with her nails and glasses. She was like a living, vibrant, full of fascinating scent flower. You could not ignore her. And she loved culture, theatre in particular, always organising outings to Theatre Royal for us and to support and admire Gilli’s performances. She was and still is proud of her kids.
As a social worker she was down to earth, very compassionate and supportive. She knew her staff and If anybody needed an advice, a hug or a laugh she was there. Kids she worked with could not resist her charm and unique ways of engaging them.
She was a good and dedicated friend to people, for good and for worse as they say. She was one of the first among my friends who found out I was pregnant with Max, and I remember that day well. It was a roller coaster of emotions for her as she was supporting our unwell at the time friend. You meant a lot to so many people Cate.
It was a privilege to know you. I miss you loads. Lots of love to the whole family xxx
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Omg u lovely people it is so unfair !!! I would love to keep in touch (Gillie who is her mothers “mini me”) thank u so much for letting me into your life’s xx
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I was fortunate enough to have known Cate my whole life, or at least as far back as my memory allows. The Kleimans were our neighbours for many years, and Tal and I have been best friends ever since. Whenever I think of Cate, I think of a strong and care free woman with the most infectious laugh and colourful personality. Cate touched many, many lives during her own, and I remember being in awe of the work she did with families. Even when her illness became more debilitating, Cate remained Cate, dignified, positive and bright. My thoughts are with Avner, Gillie and my brother Tal at this sad time, and I know Cate would be immensely proud of all of you. Love always,
Matthew x
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I am saddened that i did not no cate for very long, she was a very brave lady i admired her greatly for her courage .i wish i had known her before her illness,bess her heart and all her familys as she has left a massive void in their lives , . Maureen
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I moved next door to the Klieman’s in 2002. During that time I’ve enjoyed many, many chats and fags with Cate.
Kingsway has some lovely walled back gardens but they back on to gardens on the street behind where there are a couple of big deciduous trees. One tree backs directly on to the Klieman’s.
I can recall more than a dozen summers when Cate dragged out her sun chair in to the garden to catch some rays with her book. As the day drew on you would see Cate jumping out of her seat and repositioning herself out of the shade. Each sunning session she must have moved 6 or 7 times at least.
I’d always pop out to say hello and guaranteed every time, on cue, the first thing Cate would say was ‘I hate that bloody tree. If it’s not blocking out the sun it’s dumping its leaves in my garden. I’m going to buy an axe.’
It was the same comment every year. So, so funny. Well, it was to me.
I will miss you Cate. You were a lovely lady and a pleasure to know. Every time I watch Holby City I will think of you as I will each summer. I might even go and buy that axe!
Sleep well Cate. See you on the other side xxx
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This is my reading from Catherine’s funeral
When as a family we were thinking about what we would say today and how we would capture the essence of Catherine we considered reading Jenny Josephs poem. For those of you that aren’t familiar with it reads
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple,
with a red hat that doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and satin sandals and say we’ve no money for butter
The poem goes on to say that this will make up for the sobriety of my youth.
But that wasn’t Catherine. Catherine never had any sobriety in her youth- although I’m too young to know, I’m sure that she came out of the womb arguing, she never gave a damn about what people thought of her, what she wore or what she thought or said.
My family will have heard this anecdote many times before but when I was about 8, in the very early 70s, Catherine came home from university and took me into town on the bus. At the time she had very long straight hair, parted in the middle with her john Lennon specs just visible. She wore no shoes, no bra and her flared raggy jeans were covered in scribbles, some of which she had embroidered. In her enormous handbag she had a roll of toilet paper to blow her nose and alarm clock to tell the time. I would love to say that I was mesmerised by my exotic older sister, but the truth is I was mortified, horrified and embarrassed. Probably scarred me for life.
And she never stopped being embarrassing. I want to remember her as she was, not some pale imitation, she wasn’t meek, quiet or contemplative, she was loud, flamboyant, opinionated and stubborn, She was strong and tough and sweary, and oh so clever and creative.
My mother, our mothers favourite thing was to know that her children were together , but to listen to us from a different room ( for obvious reasons)
The morning that Catherine died , all of her siblings were in her house, crying together, laughing together and chatting together. I sat with Catherine listening to them all thinking of Mam. But Catherine wouldn’t have wanted to be in the other room listening, she would have wanted to be in the middle of it, in the middle of the action, like today she would be so bloody cross at not being here, to tell a long winded tale, or a stupid joke or to be a proud mother showing off her children.
I want to end with a bit of Dylan Thomas – although Catherine didn’t get to old age
Do not go gentle into that good night
Old age should burn and rave at close of day
Rage Rage against the dying of the light.
Catherine would have raged, she did not accept her illness, she would have preferred to be here with us.
But everyone here loved her, and we have to remember that because we love her she is here with us and will always be with us.
love always xxxx
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I first met Cate when we worked together 25 years ago and I had the privilege to job-share with her for many years. Job-share can be difficult when having joint responsibility for cases and workload and having different ways of working but due to Cate’s professionalism, integrity, selflessness and hard-working attitude, working with Cate was a definite highlight of my social work career.
Cate & I became close friends not just work colleagues and remained in contact when I left to work elsewhere 16 years ago.
We would meet-up eat cake, laugh, moan and gossip way past our lunch hour!
Cate was my funny (those jokes and elaborate stories), compassionate (always sympathetic and willing to listen to my whinging), intelligent (the person you wanted to have on your quiz team) and sometimes whacky (those tartan tights) friend who I will miss so much but will always remember as someone who has been a positive influence both professionally and personally in my life.
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Honest, funny, intelligent, pragmatic and a lover of gossip these words have all appeared in Cate’s appraisal over the years.
I was fortunate enough to manage Cate and she was kind enough to allow me to believe I was her equal. As her manager she was keen to ensure I was given feedback to improve my performance and I often sought out her very wise counsel.
Whenever I allocated a family into Cate’s care and guidance I knew I was giving them the best chance to achieve their goals and stay together. Her determination, caring support and ability to nag parents into submission were second to none. She wanted parents to succeed but even more she wanted the best for children and did not shy away from making the difficult decisions when she had to, no matter how much it tore her up inside.
Cate was a storyteller. Her eagerness to tell the story meant she had to speak at one hundred miles an hour, her energy meant her tales were always animated with wild re-enactments and her desire to make sure she covered everything meant constant deviations. Most importantly her sense of humour meant she always saw the funny side, no matter how tragic the tale. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Above all Cate was a champion of equality and equality of opportunity. I always admired her sense of fairness and it came to my rescue on occasions.
As you know Cate was an enthusiastic smoker and when the rules about smoking in the work place changed it fell upon me to tell Cate she was not allowed to smoke in the building. You can imagine my trepidation. I saw her in the corridor and suggested we meet later that day. Cate said “Andy, I know what it’s about, it’s this new stupid smoking rule. I don’t see why I can’t smoke in the smoking room where I do not harm anyone. I will have to smoke or I will go mad, it’s the stress Andy it’s the stress! I will tell you what I will do, I will smoke outside the building but this will mean leaving the “shop floor” for 5 minutes at a time. I will make sure the shift is safe before I go and I need at least 4 fags a day so I will work an extra 20 minutes at the end of each shift. So there you are, we do not need to meet later this afternoon do we”. No I said, we don’t
Now, we all think differently and I think in pictures, whenever I think of Cate I see her telling enthusiastic stories, with excitement in her eyes and a fag her in hand.
Cate we will remember you with love and affection
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This is what I said at my mum’s funeral:
I have a friend whose mother died when she was very young. Around five years ago, when this friend met my mother, she said to me:
“This doesn’t happen very often, but meeting your mum made me wish I still had one.”
I was touched, of course, but I also found myself surprised. It is hard to see things when they’re so close up; a person’s charms disappear into the mundane business of day-to-day life, her assets blurring into norms by virtue of proximity.
Like many mothers and daughters, we did not enjoy an uncomplicated relationship. We fought terribly, sometimes competitive, other times antagonistic or distant. Instead, we enjoyed a complicated relationship. It was rich, deep and powerful.
Today, I see how much I am of her. It’s a cliché, for sure, but it’s also a truth. There’s our shared inclination towards second-hand, slightly-too-loud clothes, our water-baby natures, and our love of language. There’s our worrying about the weather, a tendency towards over-ornamentation, and the propensity for the fanatical, whether that be a daily routine, a TV show or a hobby.
There are, though, so many qualities of hers that are not mine, and that I admire: her care about life away from work as well as within it, her skill at spinning yarns, both literal and metaphoric, her courageous spirit, and her electric charisma.
My mother became ill shortly before my thirtieth birthday. The process of shifting the roles of carer and dependent had already begun, albeit scarcely, a spectre of what was to befall us over the coming months. The disease made this transfer happen abruptly, with a force that will flow through our family always. As my mum became weaker, my love for her became simpler, as I imagine hers was for me thirty years before: she needed me, and I needed to be there for her. There is, there, an unforgettable purity that I cherish.
Nonetheless, I have now already been missing the challenge of our complicated love for some months. I have found that it is not something I can conjure alone, and I expect it will remain elusive, perhaps, forever. I am bereft, and I am grateful.
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As Cate’s doctor I only knew her when she was ill . However it was clear to me always that she was a most special person it was a privelege to be involved with her care. She often made me smile with her dry humour and depsite the enormous challanges she faced she never once lost dignity or the shining light within herself. It has been delightful for me to read all the memories above – I too witnessed the love of chocolate – sorry Avner Cate and I won that little battle! Gillie – your words are beautiful and Mum would have loved them .
My deepest feelings of sympathy are with Avner, Gilli and Tal – you have lost Cate much too soon and I really wish I could have done more to help her.
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I worked with Cate at the latter part of her career at the Adoption Team – my sister Val worked with her at the beginning of her career. Even though Val spoke of Cate before I joined the team, I wasn’t prepared for the enigma Cate was.
There are many words I could use to describe Cate so I will try to encapsulate how I will continue to remember her; – gentle and generous of spirit to breathtakingly entertaining and unique! Everyone knew when Cate walked into the office as there was inevitably a story, an incident or a perspective upon life she would offer along with her wonderful jokes. One of Cate’s unique qualities was to mimic people perfectly; Cate, I’ll never forget the Hobbit – can’t help but smile here at the memory. Cate was always at ease within herself to hold court, entertain and make us all laugh a lot.
The other side of Cate was her passion for her work and the children were in her heart always – “We are a Children’s Service” she would say emphatically and she would fight fiercely for what was right for them. There are other sayings Cate would use which are still spoken within the team, however best not to repeat some of them! Thank you so much Cate, I’m grateful and privileged to have shared some of my working years with you.
A big chunk of the heart of the team has left us which can never be replaced – there is no-one quite like Cate Kleiman and there never will be.
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Cate and I started at Ryehill Family Care Centre more than 26 years ago. Cate always told the best stories and would have the team in stitches about Avner, Gilley and Tal and their escapades, especially after she had been to visit the in-laws, the arms would be flying about and the facial expressions were second to none.
The whole team loved Cate from the managers, day shift, night shift and our Sally who helped keep Addison and Pilton House clean when we all moved from Ryehill due to the riots in the early 90’s. Cate’s infectious laugh and constant chat when we moved 6 families into Addison House in Jesmond in 4 days helped the team and the families cope with what was a really tough time. We then had to move to Pilton House and Cate became the other half of Val and vice versa, we classed Cate and Val as one yet they only saw each other once a week!! The families loved Cate, they loved her enthusiasm and how straight forward she was with them, what you see is what you get she would tell them as she chivvied them along.
Cate was so proud of her children but I have to say when Gilley first started playing musical instruments the language was a bit choice!!!
When Cate became unwell we would go out for lunch or a decaf latte and a piece of carrot cake “Just to give Avner a break” she would say – aye Cate course it’s got nowt to do with the cake I would say. During those times we spent alone she would talk about her fears and again how proud she was of Avner and her children and not forgetting Stanley who she also loved with all her heart.
I will miss you Cate and our little escapades but what a pleasure it has been knowing you and I know where ever you are now you will already be kicking ass
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I appointed Cate as an adoption social worker and worked with her for several years. She was and remains one of the best people I have ever known. She cared deeply about her work always wanting to get it right, reflect and learn. Cate was of course hilarious and like others I loved listening to her stories. My most abiding memory of Cate though is of her very deep love for her children. She talked often and always with tremendous pride about you both. I moved away from the North East more than five years ago and knew Cate was seriously ill at that time. Having lost my own mum in my 20s I still think about her every day. I know you will miss her terribly. No parent could have loved you more or respected and cared about you as human beings more than Cate. I am so glad to have known her and through your mum known both of you. With love. Rachael Shimmin
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