My first experiences with Cathy were in the CV Library, She would bound in the door with purpose and enthusiasm, see if the books she had ordered were in yet and delight all of us with her matter of fact comments and that beautiful smile. She was the highlight of our day. If she was too far down on the waiting list for a new book, she would buy the book, read it, and then donate it to the library. Not to say she was impatient, but she had too much to do to wait too long on the books she wanted to read.

As time went on we found we had another common bond and that was animals that needed homes. Cathy had her own rescue plan for lost, abused, abandoned pets…give them a home on her farm. She would always try to find the owner in case the pet was lost but in most cases she just gave them a home. When I went out to her place she had kennels in place, medication schedule if needed, and was a constant customer of Eastside Vet Clinic. Her pets were spayed and neutered! Just taking care of them on a daily basis was time consuming but it was what she loved and what she did.

When Cathy became ill she fought it with all her might. Her attitude was always positive.
She had faith in her doctors and did exactly what they prescribed. It took several years for the cancer to stop her… but stop her it did. . When she knew she could not take care of her pets anymore she called me and we decided to take them to the 4-H pet show last August and see if we could find homes for them. Ward-Wiseman Animal Haven stepped in and helped get the word out about the pets and show the pets. That evening we adopted all her pets to great forever homes. As you can imagine that was a great relief for Cathy.

I know there are many other facets to Cathy’s life that I do not know about but I am sure her feelings for them were just as intense as those for books and pets. I know she had a bevy of friends, she loved to travel, her mother, Cleta, was the center of her life, and she had a heart as big as all outdoors.

Cathy will be laid to rest in Nebraska. We did not have a service to attend for her so the best I could do was to be sure her friends in Collinsville knew she had left us. I wanted it in print for posterity about how much she meant to all of us at the Collinsville Library, to Ward-Wiseman, and to all her loyal pets who loved her with every wag of a tail and beat of their heart. She will always be a beat in my heart. My tears are for me as I will miss her so much. I know she is God’s hands now taking care of all those Heavenly creatures and seeing what is new at the library. Surely there will be pets and books in Heaven!

Thank you Cathy for loving us and including us in the great ride of your life!

-- Susan Babbitt (Nov. 14, 2009)