On the day of her funeral, Barb, Connie, Hilary, Rhonda and I remember our dear friend:
- She was foremost a creative person. A trained artist, she loved beauty in all forms, from art to music to film to architecture.
- She placed family first: she was a devoted daughter and aunt, and loved her mother and her nephews above all.
- She was a loyal, loyal friend. She had tremendous compassion, sharing in both the happiness and sadness of her friends and co-workers.
- She new how important it was to mark life’s progress. She remembered everyone’s birthdays, including her own.
- She was vivacious, with an enormous sense of fun. She had a fabulous wit, loved to laugh, and found humour in the most mundane.
- She was passionate and intelligent, and liked to debate and discuss.
- She knew how precious life was, and as a result engaged in life full throttle. She understood how to make moments matter, and then held them dear to her heart.
- She had a love for culture. She had enormous pride in contributing to the renaissance of the AGO and ROM.
- Her perfect day was a ride on her bike, a dip in water and some sunshine on her body.
- She was elegant, with a distinct personal style and beauty.
- She loved to dance.
- She didn’t covet a large amount of material possessions; rather, just a few things of quality and meaning.
- She had a great sense of place, and was equally home in Hamilton, Kingston and Toronto.
UPDATE: Read more tributes to Catherine here: http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/tributes.cfm?o_id=635052&fh_id=12177&s_id=CE9E7BAB263055CF8620E9F5008FB698
3 comments:
Ever since I heard the sad news of Cathy's death I can not stop thinking of all the times spent with Cathy and our Kingston group..cycling on Wolfe Island and around Cape Vincent, going to the beach on Wolfe Island, cross country skiing...Cathy's silver hoop earrings amd her silver bangle bracelets, her strong coffee, the loud laugh, her love of art, the dramas, that defiant spirit and will...
I am sorry I can not be with you today to celebrate Cathy's life but I will be thinking of Cathy and all those who knew her and share in her loss
Michael Gemmell
Cathy was so talented, feisty and consistent. I loved the gorgeous chair themed sculptures she made of steel. The summer she started those I had borrowed my parents car, Cathy asked me to drive her to the steel yard in Kingston. We had one of our biggest fights ever because she proceeded to 'steal' big pieces of steel and put them in the back of my car. Reflecting back on this story I realize how much I admire her determination and tenacity. I hope to integrate that more into my life now-in Cathy's honor. (Maybe not the stealing part).
I also loved her rituals. Each night she would write in three different calendar books. On Tuesday nights she made us hot dogs. Every morning we had to go to the Queen's cafe-as she liked their bran muffins. To this day I don't take sugar in my coffee-Cathy would get mad if I added sugar (to 'my' coffee) so I just stopped rather than argue. I also stopped ordering desserts in front of her. What a character she was. She is unforgettable.
I have posted a painting i did of Cathy in 1990
http://www.floatinghouse.org/
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