Catherine Diane “Cathy” (Tallon) Caswell

Catherine Diane (Tallon) Caswell, “Cathy”, was born on December 12, 1946 in Saginaw, Michigan and died in East Lansing, Michigan on May 29, 2026 at the age of 79. Her parents, Lillian Armstrong Tallon and John Klein Tallon, predeceased her. She is survived by her life partner Christopher Jan “Curly” Wolf, her brother John Klein Tallon II (Phyllis), and her first husband Hal Caswell.

Cathy was an enthusiastic reader starting as a child and continuing throughout her life, but she was also always raring to go outside and be active. She described her younger self as “a bit of a tomboy.” She loved being a Girl Scout. At Michigan State University she joined the Outing Club and went on adventures such as caving in Indiana and hiking up mountains, including Popocatepetl in Mexico.

Just as she was graduating from MSU in 1969 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science, Cathy met Hal Caswell, as well as his best friend Chris “Curly” Wolf, while they were starting their junior year at MSU. In 1970, Curly, Hal, and another friend rented a flat together, and Cathy moved in with Hal.

Cathy and Hal got married in February 1971, with Curly serving as best man. Cathy earned her Master’s degree in Biological Science in 1973 and got a lab-tech job at MSU, while Hal was pursuing a Ph.D. in Zoology and Curly was working at MSU. All three were serious, talented, and dedicated to what they were doing, but still found time to enjoy (responsibly) the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the era. Hal was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut in 1975, so Hal and Cathy moved to Storrs, CT. Over that period Hal and Cathy had been changing, as many twenty-somethings do, and not long after the move they decided to separate amicably.

Cathy returned to East Lansing and moved in with Curly in 1976, taking him as her best friend/lover/partner-for-life. Cathy and Curly spent the next 50 wonderful years together in East Lansing, choosing not to get married or have children, consistently overcoming the challenges that come with being a couple.

Science fiction books were Cathy’s first literary love, but this expanded later to include fantasy and historical fiction. She acquired close to 1,000 books, some stored on book cases made for her by Curly in his workshop. She got great joy from their cats, Gummitch (named after a special cat in a sci-fi story by Fritz Leiber), Calvin, and Hobbes, each of whom lived a long, pampered life. Birding and stargazing were other favorite pastimes, and she enjoyed dressing in costume for Renaissance fairs and Halloween. In the summer, Cathy gardened and did other work in the yard, creating a natural, rambunctious landscape with very little grass to mow. Many people in East Lansing recognize Cathy and Curly from seeing them riding their bicycles, often together, either on the way to work at MSU, headed to a restaurant or store, or even to doctor or dentist appointments.  Any local trip was a possible candidate for a bike ride.

Cathy had a variety of jobs through the 1970’s, including lab technician at MSU, until 1979 when she got a job as an administrative assistant in the Department of Geology at MSU. She thrived there, staying until retirement after 28 years in 2007. The people she worked with found her to be incredibly capable, dedicated, and a joy to work with. Her father was a GM UAW member in Saginaw so she embraced both unions that she was a member of at MSU. She became a board member of the Clerical-Technical Union first, and then the Administrative Professional Association, also serving as a member of their contract bargaining teams.

In the late 1970’s Cathy heard about a recreational volleyball program in East Lansing and suggested to Curly that they should try it out. It changed the course of their lives for the next 40 years. They became avid volleyball players, in recreational programs as well as competitive leagues and tournaments, playing multiple times a week. They planned many trips around watching volleyball, including ten times to the NCAA championships, and even more to watch pro beach volleyball. In 1994, Cathy and Curly were founding officers for the SideOut Club booster group for MSU women’s volleyball.

Cathy and Curly visited 20 countries on six continents, plus about 40 of the 50 states, including a favorite trip to Hawai’i. Most memorable may have been 17 days in Australia in 1986, which included the infamous Dire Straits concert at the fairgrounds in Darwin, where the band played right through a monsoon downpour while we fans stayed and got totally drenched (look it up!).

Cathy’s enthusiasm for the outdoors easily coaxed Curly into hiking and camping with her. The highlight for both of them was the challenging hike to Boiling Lake on the island of Dominica in 1991.

A volleyball trip to Florida prompted another lifelong interest­—sipping fine tequila—leading a few years later to a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mexico in 2008 devoted to it. It was a fabulous, special non-commercial insider’s tour that visited twelve of the top tequila distilleries in six days including meals and VIP treatment in the haciendas of the owners.

Music, both live and recorded, was a constant in their lives. If there was a single artist she would want you to hear, it would be John Hiatt.

Eventually, injuries and age ended their volleyball playing days, but then they heard about a new bar with line dancing, the Whiskey Barrel Saloon. With the help and encouragement of a few experienced dancers, they found they had a knack for learning even long, complex dances. In the best moments, Cathy was thrilled to lose herself in the music while her feet took her around the floor in sync with the other dancers. They did this for thirteen years, during which time they also searched out opportunities to dance wherever they were traveling.

Her death was a consequence of FTD/PPA dementia, which first became subtly noticeable in 2012. It progressed very slowly until about a year ago, but Cathy remained at home with Curly. Finally, she had a severe decline, and for her final week she went into memory care at Burcham Hills Residence Center under the care of Hospice of Lansing. Many thanks to both of them.

At her request, cremation has occurred and there will be no memorial. Feel free to remember Cathy by petting a cat, sipping a little tequila, dancing, taking a walk in the woods, going for a bike ride, listening to John Hiatt, or reading a book.