Lucy Falk, compassionate caregiver

Lucy Catalli Falk took care of people.

That was the main thrust of her life - as a longtime professional caregiver, as a mother and grandmother, and as a woman who would help anyone who needed her special brand of love and compassion.

That included strangers, except that it was obvious that Lucy Falk never really met a stranger. She would take people who were struggling into her home and let them stay until they got back on their feet.

"She would literally give you the shirt off her back," said her son Steven Falk, a Daily News photographer. "She was very outgoing and had a good sense of humor. She was the kind of person who would light up a room."

Lucy Falk died Jan. 20. She was 72 and lived in Phoenixville.

She was born in the Bronx, N.Y., to Louis Catalli and the former Jean Fusco. She and her husband, Donald Falk, moved to Lansdale in 1970 when he took a job with Remington Rand, in Blue Bell.

They moved to Garland, Texas, in 1978, when Falk went to work for Texas Instruments. After the marriage ended, Lucy moved to Phoenixville to be near her grandchildren.

Lucy held a number of jobs, including caregiver in Lansdale. She later worked at Phoenixville Manor, an assisted-living center, where she continued to care for others.

She was famous in the family for her Italian cooking - always authentic and lovingly prepared.

"She was a very caring person," said another son, Dean. "She would even help people financially if they needed it, even strangers."

Both sons mentioned her love of animals, and she always had dogs and cats to which she provided the same care.

Throughout her life, Lucy also found time for her enjoyment of crafts, knitting and needlepoint, and her skill at decorating.

Besides her sons, she is survived by a brother, Louis Catalli, and three grandchildren.

Services: 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Devlin-Rosmos-Kepp Funeral Home, 517 S. Main St., Phoenixville.

Contributions in her name may be made to the Humane Society, 1801 N. 11th St., Reading Pa. 19604.