Cáit (pronounced Cawth), 66, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, died at home on November 17th. Her mother, Laine Gardner Clancy, was an actress and teacher in New York who relocated to Minnesota and was cared for by Cáit in her last years. Her father, Tom Clancy, was a stage and television actor and a member of The Clancy Brothers, a well-known Irish folk group that helped revitalize Irish folk music in the US and their Irish homeland. They performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, at Carnegie Hall, and in concerts all over the world. Cáit grew up in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City and spent summers with her father's family in Ireland. She attended Walden High School and graduated from Hampshire College in Massachusetts. Cáit's mother's parents were Minnesotans, and she spent her adult life here. Cáit had a rich and powerful contralto, and music remained important throughout her life. She was a gifted writer and an unusually astute and caring listener who carefully deliberated her choices and became focused on the importance of gratitude. Cáit worked diligently and successfully to heal from difficult life circumstances. In her last few years, Cáit valued and became involved in a diverse recovery community. She was reconnecting and deepening older relationships and enjoying her best life. Cáit leaves behind three sisters, Blawnin, Rayleen and Rosemary, all of Ireland. She enjoyed trips to Ireland but, in recent years, went less often than she would have liked. She had many old and new friends and family members who remain. Those left behind thought she had many more years and are deeply saddened by her unexpected passing. There will be a celebration of Cáit's life at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home, 5000 West 50th Street in Edina (612-377-2203), on Saturday, December 9th at 11:00 am. Visitation one hour prior, at 10am. Donations in lieu of flowers to Old School by Steeple People, 1901 Nicollet Ave. So., Minneapolis, MN 55403, 612-871-8305, oldschoolthrifty.org

Published on December 3, 2023