STRAUGHAN, CATHERINE
The strongest woman we know has earned a well deserved rest. Catherine passed away
peacefully at Royal Victoria Hospital on Wednesday, January 21st, 2015, surrounded by her
family. She is now reunited with her beloved husband of 62 years, the late Ben Straughan. She
will be tremendously missed by her family and friends. She was Mom to Heather (Rob) Oliver
and Stephen (Shelagh) Straughan. She was Bubba to her beloved grand-daughter Bronwynn,
Grandma to her treasured grandson Hunter, and Grandma Cathie to her dearly loved granddaughters
Reese and Taylor. She was Aunt Cathie to many nieces and nephews and she was
simply Cathie to loads of family and friends. Born in Stayner, Ontario to Winifred Elizabeth
Collier LaVerdiere and Victor Vincent LaVerdiere, she was raised in Barrie, one of twelve
children, Judy, Jack, Margery, Dorothy, Rosa, Lois, Bill, Marie, Joseph, Victoria and Richard.
Deeply devoted to her family, she spent her years taking care of all of her loved ones, as a
teacher, a care-giver, hostess and friend. Cathie will be fondly remembered by her old friends at
Go Home Lake and her more recent friends at Mill Creek Care Centre. Her family would like to
thank all those who helped to fill her life with laughter and joy, too many to mention but
particularly her best friends Dolly, who brought her Timmies coffee for regular coffee dates and
Bonnie who would bring her her favourite french fries, and Emily and Ashley who she thought of
as honourary grand-daughters. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Steckley-Gooderham
Funeral Home. Family and friends will be received at Northwest Barrie United Church, 464
Ferndale Drive, Barrie, Ontario, on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 1 pm until time of funeral
service in the church at 2 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations would be appreciated by the family to Canadian Tire
Jumpstart https://secure.ctjumpstart.ca/registrant/memoriam.aspx?eventid=18836&langpref=en-CA&Referrer=http://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/en/ . Memories and condolences may be forwarded to the family through
www.steckleygooderham.com