Hope Chesko Obituary, Death; – A woman who perished in a house fire in Catawba County last week has been named. Seventy-four-year-old Hope Chesko lost her life in a fire at her residence in Claremont on Friday, December 6th. Emergency units arrived at the location on Deal Road shortly after 3 a.m. The Catawba County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the fire was accidental, originating from a wood stove.