Cathy Cummings, Vito's Ristorante owner and former mayor of The Village, dies at 62
Cathy Cummings, former mayor of The Village, respected restaurateur, and loving wife and mother, has died after a battle with gallbladder cancer. She was 62.
Cummings’ husband, Sean Cummings, who owns Sean Cummings Irish Restaurant in Oklahoma City, announced her death Sunday on social media.
More: 'Quit trying to get approval from people,' Cathy Cummings said
“If she walked into a room, it literally brought light into a room,” Cummings told The Oklahoman. “I’ve never seen anybody have that ability to relate to people. The biggest thing about her personality is she was happy all the time. People would ask ‘is she this way at home?’ I’d say ‘Yep. all the time.’”
Cathy Cummings was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended St. Teresa’s Academy in St. Louis.
In a 2020 interview with The Oklahoman, Cummings said when she moved to The Village more than two decades ago, she wanted to make it a better place for her five children — two boys and three girls, who are now adults.
"Making the quality of life better for the citizens of The Village, that's my main goal," she said.
During the same interview, Cummings, who operated Vito’s Ristorante, discussed coordinating the kitchen and floor at the annual Red Andrews Dinner with her husband.
The event feeds thousands of people during Christmas each year.
"It's really something special," Cummings told The Oklahoman. "One of the things I like to focus on is volunteers, because a lot of people are uncomfortable feeding the homeless. You're trying to keep up everybody's spirits, and you're really kind of their cheerleader because volunteers are the backbone of the whole thing."
A former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, Cummings served on The Village City Council for about five years, including as mayor and vice mayor, before running for commissioner in Oklahoma County District 3.
Cummings lost to Myles Davidson.
During the campaign, she told The Oklahoman:
“People need to be listened to with a little empathy and compassion, and whether I want to hear it or not, it's still my job to listen and I'm a good listener. My experience and my willingness are my strongest attributes.”
Those attributes made Cummings a beloved figure at her Italian restaurant. Sean Cummings said his wife cared deeply about her patrons at Vito’s Ristorante.
“If you were in her restaurant, she was so happy you were there,” he said. “She cooked because she wanted to put love in the food and have you love it. It was an effort of love to make food for people.”
Cummings said it was his wife’s idea to have her restaurant and his restaurant next door to each other at 7628 N May Ave.
“As a married couple in the restaurant business, it’s the only way you're going to see each other,” Cummings said. “It was a fantastic idea. It worked out really well. She was the best partner you could ever ask for.”
The family asks that those touched by Cathy Cummings’ life honor her by considering a contribution to unpaid lunch bills in local schools. A GoFundMe page is available for contributions.
Plans for services will be shared on the social media pages for Vito’s Ristorante and Sean Cummings Irish Restaurant.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cathy Cummings, Vito's Ristorante owner, dies after cancer battle
