Tusten woman perishes in fire

Cause of blaze under investigation

LAVA, NY — Catherine Novak, a resident of the Town of Tusten, was killed on December 14 when a roaring fire completely destroyed her home at 222 Route 25 in Lava. Novak shared the house with two children, but the children reportedly were spending the night elsewhere and were not harmed.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Sullivan County Fire Bureau, and it is too early to say what caused the blaze.

Novak was a member of the board of education of the Sullivan West Central School District from 2005 through 2007, and last spring was hired by the district to fulfill a number of functions. According to the district’s web site, she was a data specialist, the district registrar and the deputy district treasurer. She had previously spent a number of years as an administrator in higher education at two colleges in New York City.

Novak was also very active in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Narrowsburg, where she would fill in to give sermons when the pastor was not available.