Catherine Lewis
Catherine Rose Lewis 1951-2014
Catherine Rose Lewis passed away peacefully on May 20, 2014 surrounded by family & friends at her Pine Lake home, ending a 5-year duel with cancer.
Cathy was born on December 24, 1951 to Herbert & Blanche Avery in McMinnville, OR. The family lived in the Corvallis area. Her marriage to Randal Brown led her to move to the greater Puget Sound where she earned a BS in Nursing. In 2013 Cathy concluded her 38-year career as a labor & delivery nurse at Evergreen Hospital.
Cathy had a strong faith, believing in the power of prayer. Her caring & compassionate demeanor were appreciated by all whose lives she touched. Her passions for quilting, miniatures & Hawai’i will live on in our memories.
Cathy is survived by her husband of 14 years, Christopher (CT) Lewis, daughter Kristin Clark (David), step-daughter Kylie Whetstone (Geoff), mother Blanche Avery, sisters, Patricia Nickerson (Hugh), Mary Beth Garrison, Teresa Avery & brothers, Ronald (Rhea) & Mark Avery (Patricia).
Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 30th at 11 am, Mary, Queen of Peace, 1121 228th Ave SE, Sammamish.
10 Responses to “Catherine Lewis”
Leave a Reply
Please be respectful. Disrespectful comments will not be published
When you have successfully submitted a comment, look in the space above to see your comment.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
If you do not see your comment, click HERE
Cathy’s passion for quilting
Cathy’s passion for quilts is quickly obvious. You visit her home and you can see finished, unfinished, planned and future works in her design studio. She won several awards and shared her quilts with many friends and family. None of her quilts were ever perfect, even the ones that won awards. Cathy felt that only One could have a perfect quilt – God, our Father.
Cathy and C.T. loved each other and Christ
In early 1999 Cathy and C.T. met. They both have daughters from previous marriages, a love for life and the tropics. In December of 2000 they were visiting friends in Vegas and while there they decided that their love and commitment for each other was strong enough to get married. They returned home and surprised their daughters, families and friends.
Cathy was raised Catholic. C.T. was raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints. They shared fundamental Christian faith, that while different were centered Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sharing a Christian faith they made certain that their commonalities would strengthen their relationship and the differences would never interfere with their marriage.
Respect and support for the other was strongly displayed when Cathy was stricken with cancer in February 2009 Cathy found comfort and strength in Sunday 7:30 AM Mass. C.T. would be right by her side, present in his love and support. Vacations included visits to the local Catholic Church and the family would attend with her.
Cathy fought stage four lung cancer for five years due to the support of her friends, her family and her faith in Christ. Separate faiths never divided never interfered in her life and the broad support of two churches helped her surpass the original diagnosis.
What Cathy meant to Kristin, as viewed by her son-in-law
Daughter, from the view of a son-in-law
I had the good fortune of meeting Cathy in 1998, she’s my wife’s mother. I was not meeting a mere mother. I was meeting my wife’s best friend. That remained true through the ten years of marriage Kristin’s love for her mom was clear every single day. They talked; they wandered the Pacific Northwest; they quilted; they bargain hunted.
They were partners. For the pop-culture enthusiast they were quite like the Gilmore Girls. Kristin and Cathy had inside jokes, beaming smiles and a constant shoulder of support.
Other people will need to provide those jokes, smiles and support now. One of my great joys in life was spending most of the past six weeks with Cathy learning who she is and how she relates to my wife. I just pray I learned enough.
We had the good fortune to meet Cathy and Kristin when our sons and Kristin were attending St. Louise School in Bellevue. Cathy would be working late, so Kristin would come home with Cec, Shane and Scott and spend evenings with us, including dinner, homework and going to bed on the couch (we still have that old green couch!). Somewhere around midnight, Cathy would come, wake her up and go home. We often heard Kristin complaining about having to be awoken, and we would hear Cathy’s gentle voice. We did that for several years, and Kristin bacame a part of our family, the sister that our sons never had. We were blessed to get to know Cathy, and she honored us with a small embroidery that is still in our kitchen which says “Grow where you are Planted”, which of course means make the most of your life, regardless of your circumstances. It was a real blessing to know Cathy and Kristin, and we have been exchanging Christmas Cards with Cathy ever since we moved away from the Pine Lake Area. God Bless you Cathy, and Kristin. By the way, Shane is the one who notified us of Cathy’s passing. Do you remember the Marriage Encounter camping trip to Lake Chelan. I think that was your first introduction to Smores! We love you. Cec and Mark Spahr
Cathy and I met at a quilt guild meeting many years ago. She patted the empty chair next to her and invited me to sit down. Over the years we got to know each other really well and became constant companions.
We liked to go to gargage sales, thrift stores and church rummage sales. Cathy loved to bargain hunt and always bartered for a better price and got it!
We also went to many quilt shops, quilt shows and retreats together. It didn’t matter how far away, she was always up for an adventure. She was very spontaneous and I remember more that once getting a call asking if I wanted to go to Leavenworth or Yakima or some place that required a bit of driving. “Sure” I’d say, when? She’d reply “now!”. And off we’d go.
There is a saying by Jonathan Swift that goes “May you live, every day of your life”. Cathy did that more than anyone I know. Enjoyed each and every day and made the most of it.
I miss my friend so much but I am so happy she chose to spend time with me. I’ve no doubt when I get to heaven she will be there patting the seat next to her, inviting me to sit down. And after we’ve caught up, we’ll go off on an adventure
Aloha girlfriend – MarieC
The picture above is how I always see my Cousin Cathy. Her smile could brighten the cloudiest of days. Heaven has become brighter at her arrival! I pray that each of your memories of her can fill even a portion of the hole that is left in her passing.
Cathy’s younger brother, Mary Avery and I have been married for 35 years. She welcomed me into the family like a sister. She was so full of energy, always on the go. When she visited her mom here in Albany, shopping trips to a quilt shop in the Willamette Valley or on the Oregon Coast was often on the agenda. I remember how much I enjoyed the years she hosted the family for Thanksgiving dinners in her beautiful home. I will miss “talking shop” (nursing stuff) with her. I love this picture of Cathy, that’s how I’ll always remember her.
Cathy’s younger brother, Mark Avery and I have been married for 35 years. She welcomed me as a sister into the family. She enjoyed life to the fullest and was always on the go. When she visited her mom here in Albany she was always headed off somewhere to a quilt shop in the Willamette valley or on the Oregon coast. I loved when she hosted the family for Thanksgiving dinners in her beautiful home. I will miss “talking shop” (shared nursing stories) with her. I love this picture of Cathy, it’s how I’ll always remember her, she left us too soon.
Baby sister… That’s me! Sharing the same bed… That’s what you do in big families! What a crazy, fun sis! Dad sure loved her! He finally has her in his arms again. Strength. Perseverance. Determination. A single-parent… Building a home. “We sisters are doing it for ourselves .” Giving it her all…. Working, working working. Patients that recognized her professionalism. She wanted the best for her daughter. She gave the best. Why couldn’t she reap what she sewed? Lessons for us all. Her gifts were aplenty. She finally shared her struggles. She kept so much inside… Her faith in God grew and grew. She was easily recognized in the Parish and by her Priest. Her marriage to CT was extraordinary. She was so cute! He loved her with all his heart! Cancer never dampened her spirit… She wanted to live! What a woman! What a sister! What a wife! What a mother! What a friend! You go girl! Go to God our Savior! Let us all rejoice and the lessons you taught us! In dying we are born to eternal life! May your spirit be amongst us for evermore. Sending love to my angel, sister. Well done faithful servant! I will cherish my memories forever. See you, hug you, kiss you in heaven. Baby sis,TC.
Cousin,
You have given us the ultimate lesson in strength and faith. You kept going when the rest of us would have given up. Updates from the rest of the family gave them strength even as they shared them with us. From Henry Van Dyke for the rest of us: “I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the seas and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: “There she is gone”… “Gone where?”…. Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “HERE SHE COMES!”.
Dave, Kristin & CT: I hear your references in your tributes above to just what Van Dyke is saying to us. I hope to meet you in person some day… and if not, we will have a grand reunion with Cathy some day.