A dedicated community volunteer, activist and author passed away last week.
Catherine Marcellus passed away on June 12 at the age of 91.
Cathie, as she was known to her friends, was always thinking about the community, said Diana Muntigl, executive director of Lifetime Learning Centre Society. “She was an inspiration to many people.”
Cathie was born in 1923 and moved to Mission in 1947 when her husband, Dr. Jim Marcellus, set up a medical practice here.
Cathie was a founding member of LLCS in 1986 and was involved in many programs it offered. She spearheaded health forums in the early 2000s in a fight to keep services at Mission Memorial Hospital and she was a part of the steering committee that built Heritage Park Centre. She co-authored Mission’s Living Memorials, a book about the history of health care in Mission.
Cathie earned many awards for her efforts including Mission Citizen of the Year in 1991, Freeman of the City in 1995, and Citizen of the Millennium in 2001. She also received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award in 2002.
Cathie was a lifelong learner. She earned a Masters Degree in English at age 62 and was conferred with an honourary doctorate degree from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2010.
“We’ve lost another one of Mission’s greats,” said Coun. Jenny Stevens, who admired Cathie for her work with LLCS. “She’s one of those quiet people that made a huge difference. She was a part of the generation that created Mission. We’re growing Mission, but they created it.”
