Catherine “Caye” (Gilmartin) Christensen, 83, of Madison, died at Connecticut Hospice on June 20 after a fall in her home. She was born in New Haven to Eugene and Elizabeth (Ginty) Gilmartin.

Caye graduated from West Haven High School, class of 1951. She was predeceased by her husband Carl Christensen; her sister Constance (Gilmartin) Sasso of Hamden; and her brother Eugene Gilmartin of Casa Grande, Arizona. Caye worked as an insurance agent for many years. She was an active member of the Church of the Latter-day Saints. Throughout her life, she sewed, did needlework, sang, and gardened. She liked to play games (Scrabble and Yahtzee) and did large jigsaw puzzles. She enjoyed walking and cycling. Caye volunteered for the American Red Cross and Ivoryton Playhouse, and walked her neighbor’s dog Maggie. She was able to travel to Ireland and meet her extended family. She also took a trip to England with her daughter Betty. For several years, she also vacationed in Acadia, Maine, with her daughter Kathryn.

Caye is survived by her five children, Elizabeth (Betty) Spargo of Hudson, Massachusetts; Jeanne (Spargo) Chatot and her husband Paul of Post Mills, Vermont; Alan D. Spargo of Westport; Kathryn A. Spargo of Ivoryton; and Cara L. Spargo of Wallingford. She is also survived by her stepdaughter Susan Quilan and her family of Shelton, as well as her nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church St., Guilford, on June 26 at 11:00 a.m. A burial will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers it was Caye’s wish that donations be made to the American Red Cross, PO Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037-0839, or Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Rd., Branford, CT 06437. To share a memory or leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit www.GuilfordFuneralHome.com.