Catherine Louise (Locke) Cather

Catherine L. Cather

     NEW CREEK, W.Va. – Catherine Louise Cather, 86, of Cedar Point Road, New Creek, died Tuesday, December 30, 2008, at WMHS Braddock Campus, Cumberland, MD.

     Born January 1, 1922, in Berryville, Virginia, she was a daughter of the late William Turner and Ethel Pearl (Forney) Locke.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Wilbur S. Cather on February 12, 2003 and by her brother, Turner W. Locke of Rocky Mt., VA.

     Mrs. Cather graduated in 1940 from John Handley High School in Winchester, VA, and then attended the Virginia Academy where she completed the Secretarial Sciences program.  She then started her career in advertising at O’Sullivan Rubber Company in Winchester.    

     She married Wilbur S. Cather, her high school sweetheart, on July 3, 1941 and moved with him throughout his service and managerial positions with the electric company in Winchester, Charles Town, WV, Keyser, WV, Piedmont, WV, Cumberland, MD, Frederick, MD, Berkeley, WV and Martinsburg, WV until their retirement in 1980 when they moved to their home in New Creek, WV. 

     Mrs. Cather was a gentle, kind, and caring lady, always having a smile for everyone.  As a wife and mother, she was a precious jewel, always putting her family before herself.  

She was a member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Westernport, MD; a charter member of Christ Lutheran Church in LaVale, MD; a long time member of the McKinley Chapter No. 12, Order of the Eastern Star of Cumberland, MD; and a strong supporter of charitable and humane society organizations.

     Mrs. Cather is survived by her daughter, Dr. Willa Louise Cather of New Creek and her beloved Kitty, Ebony.

     Friends will be received at the Markwood Funeral Home on Saturday, January 3, 2009 from 7 to 9 p.m.  The family will also receive friends at the Enders & Shirley Funeral Home, 1050 West Main Street, Berryville, Virginia on Sunday, January 4, 2009 from 2 to 4 p.m.  On Monday, January 5, 2009, the funeral service will be conducted at the Enders & Shirley Funeral Home at 1 p.m. with Pastor Sally L. Bartling officiating. 

      Interment will follow in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Winchester, VA.

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