Ann Cawley

Born: July 6th, 1924 Died: July 15th, 2025 Born to Nicola (Nick) and Mary Mongelli Castrignano. Nick was born May 2nd, 1882 and died July 24th, 1972 at the age of 90 in Portland, Oregon. Both the Mongelli and Castrignano families immigrated from Bari, Italy. Nick Castrignano arrived in New York in 1907 on the Princess Irene. Ann’s Mother Mary Mongelli Castrignano immigrated later with her first child, Mary. The Mongelli and Castrignano families lived in the Italian part of SE Portland. The church Ann and her siblings were baptized in was St. Philip Neri. Ann was the ninth of 10 children. Ann is preceded in death by her parents and siblings: sisters: Vita Maria (Mary) Taccogna, Felicia (Fanny) Davais, Margaret Van Alst, Helen Gray, Albina Boucher, Julia Furrer, and brothers Leonard and Carmin (Carlo). The tenth child was a sister who died in infancy. Ann attended Girls Polytechnic High School along with her sisters. Learning skills in sewing that she would use all her life. In 1943 Ann met Carl H. Cawley of Roanoke, Virginia while he was serving in the Army. Carl was in the Timberwolves, 104th Infantry Division, activated Sept. 15th, 1942 and stationed in Fort Lewis Washington. They met while he was on leave in Portland, Oregon. Ann worked during the war in a factory sewing shirts and parachutes. She later traveled by bus to Avondale, Arizona to be married to Carl by a Justice of the Peace on January 15th, 1944. Ann returned to Portland to live with her sister in Portland while Carl served on the Western front as a Corpsman with the 104th Carl was discharged from the Army after WWII and he and Ann lived in Portland, Oregon. On August 11th, 1946 their first child Carl Lynn Cawley was born. The family moved back to Roanoke, Virginia in 1947 where Carl’s parents Ernest Clay and Zula May Cawley lived. 0n March 24th, 1948 Lanny Hensel Cawley was born. Their last child Alaina Ann was born on September 15th, 1955. They attended a small Evangelical church, During this time, Carl also served in the US Naval Reserves and was called to active service.. Post war, jobs were limited and the family moved to Wierton, West Virginia in 1958 to find employment and later decided to move back to Portland, Oregon in 1959, later finding a property in Orchards, Washington and settling there. They built onto the house and cleared their one and a third acre to put in crops and have calves and chickens. Carl got his license as an electrician and worked for Robbins Electrical Repair. Ann and the children attended the Proebstel Church in Orchards, Wa. After the children were older, Ann took a position at Jantzen Swimwear in Vancouver, WA and worked there for many years, being recognized for production improvement ideas. In the 1960’s Carl developed symptoms which were later diagnosed as MS. He needed greater care as he became limited to a wheelchair and Ann quit her job to care for him. This disease ended his life in 1994 at age 72. He is interred at Evergreen Memorial in Vancouver, WA. Ann passed away at Guardian Angels One (ACH) where she was given the best care with great kindness and compassion, on Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 at 4:26pm. PeaceHealth Hospice supported Ann and the family with medical and spiritual care from April 2025 until her death three months later. Ann is survived by her son Carl Lynn Cawley (wife Ursula) Portland, Oregon and grandson Brian Cawley Corpus Christi, Texas, son Lanny Cawley (wife Jill) Woodland, Wa. and grandson Alex Cawley Vancouver, Wa and daughter Alaina Ann Lewis and grandson James Lewis (wife Wynter) Vancouver, Wa.

Ann Cawley

July 6, 1924 - July 15, 2025