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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2020)
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Obituary SCHOLARSHIP: Festival supports graduating seniors in arts Kathy Jean (Catterson) Levine November 19, 1958 — June 19, 2020 Kathy Jean (Catterson) Levine was born November 19, 1958, in Fortuna, California. She passed away June 19 in Sharp Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa, California, at the age of 61. Her medical team had discovered a brain aneu- rism and performed an aneu- rism repair surgery, which seemed very successful but ended in a massive stroke that took her life. Kathy, with her husband Dennis Levine, resided in El Cajon, California. They moved from Central Oregon in 2016 to be closer to their children. Kathy had a loving sign- off which she used ending every conversation on the phone, every text message, every time she left or said goodbye. Many can hear her saying this sincerely meant sign-off, <Luv Ya!= Kathy was a cheerful, giving, helpful, kind, and dedicated person. She had an infectious sense of humor and could keep you laughing for hours. She loved to sing. As a child you could hear her beautiful voice louder than any other in church. Kathy made singing part of everything. Some may wonder, <What song can I use for this event?= This comes from Kathy9s influence in your life. She sang <Daddy9s Hands= at her stepfather9s funeral and <Well Done= at her mother9s funeral. Many share fond memories of getting together with her and Dennis that usually included singing or karaoke. She shared a text to a family member the morn- ing of her aneurism surgery. It said, <They are coming to take me away to the funny farm.= Of course, the family member knew immediately it was a funny song they shared together as children. Recently Kathy shared her musical gifts at St. Louise De Marillac Catholic Church Saturday evening mass. Her love for all chil- dren was never clearer than when she would teach sign language to them in small groups at church or Sunday school. A favorite was <Silent Night= and she would have children sign this at Christmas Mass and there wouldn9t be a dry eye in the church. If you needed something, anything, Kathy could fig- ure it out and help solve the problem or situation. She wouldn9t stop with just an idea; she would always be there to physically help, too. She would provide this favor to all. Along with her helpful- ness she was also giving. She gladly made sure people had the things they needed. One of the most recent acts of giving was her care for her mother during her long ill- ness with cancer. She made sure she had the right bed, the right clothes, the right doctors, and she didn9t stop. These are the things Kathy would do for you, too. Kathy was a dedi- cated restaurant cook, school bus driver, city bus driver and driv- er9s education teacher. This was her last career in Redmond. Kathy was one of the best drivers. She could drive buses, trucks or whatever without fear. She knew the laws and she understood the mechanics of dealing with the forces behind big rigs. To most peo- ple this is very impressive. On November 13, 1976, Kathy married the love of her life, Dennis Levine. They were young and had mountains to climb. They stuck together through thick and thin and celebrated nearly 44 years of marriage. From this loving marriage came two sons, Clint (wife Lauren) and Nicholas (wife Janeth). Their grandchildren are Antonio, Cristina, Nestor, Christian, Paulino, Armando and Jonathon; and one great- granddaughter, Ceci. Kathy loved her family and showed them by her continued open door and willingness to have everyone be part of her life. Kathy is survived by her brothers, Tym Catterson (Ursula) and Jason Dagenhardt (Judy) and nephew Adam, sisters Teresa Drews and Lynn Dagenhardt, niece Keylee and nephew Loren. Loving in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and host of long-time friends also survive her. Her father Vern Catterson and Mother Barbara Marshall, whom she cared for in the last days of her life, preceded Kathy in death. A comforting thought for all who loved Kathy is that when she was told she had a serious, potentially deadly aneurism, she comforted all saying she was calm and at peace with everything. She was not worried. This is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. She gave encouragement even when she should have been receiv- ing encouragement. Her final request in life was to be an organ donor. The gift of life to others is about as charitable of a gift any human can give. To date two people have been saved by her donations for trans- plant surgery. Because of her unselfish life she is still giv- ing even after she has left us. Kathy will be deeply missed and, Kathy, from all who Continued from page 3 knew you: <Luv Ya!= In lie u o f flo we rs please consider a donation to: Interim 3 The Gift of Hospice, 5625 Ruffin Rd., Ste. 110, San Diego, CA, 92123. programming for all stu- dents, unique to most schools in Central Oregon and beyond. Maddison Anderson has worked in visual arts and illustration and graduated as one of the valedictorians for the class of 2020. Anderson also contributed a painted guitar to this year9s SFF My Own Two Hands art auction. Daniel Schmidt, owner of Dan Schmidt Productions, helped develop an alpine ski building class at Sisters High School, has been key to the Americana Luthier program in guitar building for the past several years, and worked in digital arts creating numerous videos throughout his high school career, including a compre- hensive introduction for the Sisters High School gradua- tion ceremony. Josie Aylor, an award- winning artist, has developed a keen sense and unique perspective of ceramic arts and shines working in many mediums. Hallie Schwartz partici- pated in Americana Project music the last two years and is a strong singer and inter- preter of songs. Chloe Gold, an accom- plished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, was the recording coordina- tor for the recent release of <Playing to Grow,= a video compilation of Americana Project songs and an effec- tive leader in the Americana Project program. Mitchell Griffin has studied digi- tal photography, has an impressive portfolio and plans to continue to pursue his passion in photographic arts. Sisters Folk Festival intends for the award resources to be used in these students9 pursuit of creativ- ity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that they can apply to the chal- lenges facing the world today. For more information on the GRO scholarship pro- gram, visit http://shs.ssd6. org/sistersgro/. LUCKY TOWN... A tribute to Bruce Springsteen Sat., July 18, 8 p.m. Online tickets only at Bendticket.com (Ticket quantity limited) Make us your natural & organic foods destination! Open 11 a.m. to midnight 175 N. Larch St. 541-549-6114 4 hardtailsoregon.com Facebook darcymacey 9 Located in the Cascade Village Shopping Center, Bend Open every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Isolated shopping hour: 6 to 7 a.m. • Large organic produce selection • Huge organic & natural selection storewide • Meat cut & ground fresh daily • Huge bulk-foods department • All your favorite local brands & items • Only 20 minutes from Sisters • Proud to be 100% locally owned