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In Memory of
Catherine (Katie) Josephine
Belcastro Stamper
Belcastro Stamper
1922 - 2021
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O'Dell Funeral Home
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Obituary for Catherine (Katie) Josephine Belcastro Stamper
Catherine (Katie) Josephine Belcastro Stamper (3/6/1922 – 1/8/2021)
One of God’s righteous has been called home. “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Phil 4:4. Katie was born to Mary Acuri Belcastro and Joseph Belcastro of Smithers, WV, on March 6, 1922 in Boomer, WV. She died at her home in Cary, NC, on January 8, 2021, with her daughter Brenda, her granddaughter Erin, grandson Geoffrey, as well as her caretaker Juanita Williams at her side. During her hospital stay, her son Larry kept a constant vigil by her bedside. Katie sat straight up in her bed and her eyes grew large as she saw and entered the majesty of Heaven into the safety of her Savior’s arms.
Katie graduated from Montgomery High School and attended West Virginia Institute of Technology where she studied history. Before she married, she worked as a bookkeeper for physicians and at furniture stores.
Katie married Homer Stamper of eastern Kentucky. Homer was a veteran of the US Marine Corps and fought in the Pacific theater and at Iwo Jima during World War II, as well as serving in Korea. Homer was the son of Daniel Stamper and Lilly Hicks Stamper. Katie and Homer had three children: Brenda, Larry, and Jeanette.
Katie devoted her life to her strong faith, her family, and her neighbors. Her kitchen supplied so many meals that it was nicknamed “Katie’s Kitchen” as if it were a restaurant. Her spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, pizza, and holiday fare were legendary. Katie fed not only her family, but also anyone who entered her door. As her mother before her, no one left Katie’s Kitchen hungry.
Katie was also famous for her gardens. Her large back yard in Montgomery, WV, held immense vegetable gardens, which supplied her household as well as her neighbors’ cupboards. In her earlier years, she and her husband Homer, along with her sister Rosie and brother-in-law Bernard Thompson, had extensive vegetable plots in Pratt, WV, along the Kanawha River. Katie was also an expert at canning and freezing her produce.
Katie held faith dear. Before she was five years of age, she walked, along with her grandmother Maria and her sister Connie, to attend Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Montgomery, WV, every Sunday. Katie completed her Bible study courses and her First Friday Devotions at that same church. Lenten services for her were a must.
Every Friday night during the school year, Katie sat down at the kitchen table with her children to prepare them for the Catechism classes for the following day. She would simultaneously talk on the telephone with her sister Connie, assisting her nieces and nephews in their preparation. Katie’s favorite Bible verse was “…with God, all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. She diligently prayed her Rosary and wore out her prayer books interceding for family, friends, and the situations of the world. She was a prayer intercessor with a compassionate heart. St. Jude, the saint of impossible situations, was her favorite saint, as she indeed faced many difficult life situations in her life journey. Monsignor Williams of the Archdiocese of Raleigh, NC, was her spiritual director while she lived in Cary, NC.
Katie was a consummate wife and mother. Often she studied with and assisted her children in their academic endeavors. When her children were in college, she helped her son Larry in his English classes and her daughter Brenda in her French class. Katie packed lunches for her daughter Jeanette each day as Jeanette travelled to Charleston, WV, to attend cosmetology school. For many years, Katie nursed her husband who was afflicted with black lung disease. She also helped Brenda through two difficult pregnancies. In addition, Katie was always available to help Jeanette and her husband Fran in rearing their children. She was absolutely selfless in her devotion to her family.
Katie is survived by her children Brenda Stamper Wiggins of Cary, NC; Larry and his wife Paula Stamper of Glen Dale, WV; sister Teresa Holstein of Spring, TX; son-in-law Francis DiVita; grandchildren Erin and her husband Christopher Ellington; Branden DiVita; Geoffrey Wiggins; Chase and Kenica DiVita; Benjamin DiVita; Maddeline, Katherine, and Rachel Stamper; and eight great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband Homer Stamper; her parents Mary and Joseph Belcastro; her daughter Jeanette Stamper DiVita; her brothers John, Sam, Nick, and Pat; her sisters Isobel, Connie, Rosie, and Serafina.
Visitation with Katie’s family will be held at O’Dell Funeral Home in Montgomery, WV, from 6:00 to 8:00 on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Visitation at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boomer, WV, is scheduled from 10:30 to 11:30 on Friday, January 15, 2021 with the Mass of Christian Burial to follow. Katie will be buried beside her husband at Kanawha Valley Memorial Garden in Glasgow, WV. Father Dominikus Boak, S.V. D. and Deacon John Yaquinta, her nephew, will be officiating the services.
The family greatly appreciated the care Katie was given by her caretakers Gwendolyn Jones, Juanita Williams, Cindy Ruiz, and Michell Frink. An especial thank-you goes to Jackie Lawrence for her care and prayer with the family. Also, the family appreciates Ray and Cathy Kelling for their frequent prayer, visitation, and support, as well as the kindnesses of her “adopted” daughters Connie Wriston Ewing and Sarah Fish Smith. The family is very thankful for the funeral flower arrangements designed by Beverly DiVita Skinner. Also, the family is grateful for the medical assistance given by Virginia Mullis, RN; Erin Wiggins Ellington, RN; and Dr. Christopher Ellington.
One of God’s righteous has been called home. “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Phil 4:4. Katie was born to Mary Acuri Belcastro and Joseph Belcastro of Smithers, WV, on March 6, 1922 in Boomer, WV. She died at her home in Cary, NC, on January 8, 2021, with her daughter Brenda, her granddaughter Erin, grandson Geoffrey, as well as her caretaker Juanita Williams at her side. During her hospital stay, her son Larry kept a constant vigil by her bedside. Katie sat straight up in her bed and her eyes grew large as she saw and entered the majesty of Heaven into the safety of her Savior’s arms.
Katie graduated from Montgomery High School and attended West Virginia Institute of Technology where she studied history. Before she married, she worked as a bookkeeper for physicians and at furniture stores.
Katie married Homer Stamper of eastern Kentucky. Homer was a veteran of the US Marine Corps and fought in the Pacific theater and at Iwo Jima during World War II, as well as serving in Korea. Homer was the son of Daniel Stamper and Lilly Hicks Stamper. Katie and Homer had three children: Brenda, Larry, and Jeanette.
Katie devoted her life to her strong faith, her family, and her neighbors. Her kitchen supplied so many meals that it was nicknamed “Katie’s Kitchen” as if it were a restaurant. Her spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, pizza, and holiday fare were legendary. Katie fed not only her family, but also anyone who entered her door. As her mother before her, no one left Katie’s Kitchen hungry.
Katie was also famous for her gardens. Her large back yard in Montgomery, WV, held immense vegetable gardens, which supplied her household as well as her neighbors’ cupboards. In her earlier years, she and her husband Homer, along with her sister Rosie and brother-in-law Bernard Thompson, had extensive vegetable plots in Pratt, WV, along the Kanawha River. Katie was also an expert at canning and freezing her produce.
Katie held faith dear. Before she was five years of age, she walked, along with her grandmother Maria and her sister Connie, to attend Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Montgomery, WV, every Sunday. Katie completed her Bible study courses and her First Friday Devotions at that same church. Lenten services for her were a must.
Every Friday night during the school year, Katie sat down at the kitchen table with her children to prepare them for the Catechism classes for the following day. She would simultaneously talk on the telephone with her sister Connie, assisting her nieces and nephews in their preparation. Katie’s favorite Bible verse was “…with God, all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. She diligently prayed her Rosary and wore out her prayer books interceding for family, friends, and the situations of the world. She was a prayer intercessor with a compassionate heart. St. Jude, the saint of impossible situations, was her favorite saint, as she indeed faced many difficult life situations in her life journey. Monsignor Williams of the Archdiocese of Raleigh, NC, was her spiritual director while she lived in Cary, NC.
Katie was a consummate wife and mother. Often she studied with and assisted her children in their academic endeavors. When her children were in college, she helped her son Larry in his English classes and her daughter Brenda in her French class. Katie packed lunches for her daughter Jeanette each day as Jeanette travelled to Charleston, WV, to attend cosmetology school. For many years, Katie nursed her husband who was afflicted with black lung disease. She also helped Brenda through two difficult pregnancies. In addition, Katie was always available to help Jeanette and her husband Fran in rearing their children. She was absolutely selfless in her devotion to her family.
Katie is survived by her children Brenda Stamper Wiggins of Cary, NC; Larry and his wife Paula Stamper of Glen Dale, WV; sister Teresa Holstein of Spring, TX; son-in-law Francis DiVita; grandchildren Erin and her husband Christopher Ellington; Branden DiVita; Geoffrey Wiggins; Chase and Kenica DiVita; Benjamin DiVita; Maddeline, Katherine, and Rachel Stamper; and eight great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband Homer Stamper; her parents Mary and Joseph Belcastro; her daughter Jeanette Stamper DiVita; her brothers John, Sam, Nick, and Pat; her sisters Isobel, Connie, Rosie, and Serafina.
Visitation with Katie’s family will be held at O’Dell Funeral Home in Montgomery, WV, from 6:00 to 8:00 on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Visitation at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boomer, WV, is scheduled from 10:30 to 11:30 on Friday, January 15, 2021 with the Mass of Christian Burial to follow. Katie will be buried beside her husband at Kanawha Valley Memorial Garden in Glasgow, WV. Father Dominikus Boak, S.V. D. and Deacon John Yaquinta, her nephew, will be officiating the services.
The family greatly appreciated the care Katie was given by her caretakers Gwendolyn Jones, Juanita Williams, Cindy Ruiz, and Michell Frink. An especial thank-you goes to Jackie Lawrence for her care and prayer with the family. Also, the family appreciates Ray and Cathy Kelling for their frequent prayer, visitation, and support, as well as the kindnesses of her “adopted” daughters Connie Wriston Ewing and Sarah Fish Smith. The family is very thankful for the funeral flower arrangements designed by Beverly DiVita Skinner. Also, the family is grateful for the medical assistance given by Virginia Mullis, RN; Erin Wiggins Ellington, RN; and Dr. Christopher Ellington.