of Bellingham, WA

August 10, 1928 - December 10, 2014

Catherine (The Kid), age 86, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at her home in Bellingham, WA surrounded by her loving family. She was born on the Murphy family dairy farm in Kilbride, St. John's Newfoundland Canada, to James and Mary Densmore Murphy. Although the youngest in her boisterous Irish Catholic family, she did chores and helped out on the family farm side-by-side with her nine brothers and sister.
An avid reader, Catherine was educated by the Sisters of Mercy at Littledale Academy, where she achieved the status of first violin in the orchestra. Upon graduation, her beloved sister Mary funded secretarial training, and Catherine was hired by the Naval Air Station, Argentia, where she met the love of her life, Chuck. They married in 1951 at Corpus Christi Church, with a lovely reception in the gardens at Bowring Park.
Catherine and Chuck travelled extensively during his 20 years of military service, giving birth to seven sons and three daughters at Navy bases throughout the United States and Canada. Upon his military retirement, they settled in West Memphis, AR where Catherine was a faithful member of St. Michael's Parish for 48 years, attending daily Mass.
Catherine lived for her children and her family, demonstrating her daily devotion to them, whether it was making their clothes, teaching them to swim (she was a lifeguard in her youth), baking cookies for homeroom, scouting jamborees, band practices, etc. After 35 years of parenting, she joyfully embraced being a grandmother, helping to raise many of her grandchildren. An intrepid, self-determined woman, Catherine once drove 5,500 miles round trip to Newfoundland to visit her Mother, bringing along her seven youngest children and the family dog, Sniffles!
As a young widow, Catherine went back to work as the office manager for the Hearing Aid Group of Arkansas for ten years. Her eagerness to learn led to developing computer skills, which she put to good use as a long-time volunteer for Friends for Life, an HIV/AIDS advocacy organization, working side by side with her son and FFL Board member, Curtis.
Catherine, while very reserved and private, cherished her friends, particularly her 'Birthday Group', the Social Butterflies and the Infant of Prague Guild. With her gentle nature and sweet smile, Catherine was always in great demand; warmly welcoming parishioners as a Greeter at Sunday Mass or in the parish kitchen making hundreds of dozens of homemade raviolis. Creative and artistic in nature, Catherine was well known for her stained glass design. An avid gardener who favored blooming flowers, Catherine could often be found reading and relaxing by her koi pond, while watching over and feeding all the birds in the neighborhood. Catherine was a world traveler and later in life, developed a passion for riding in hot air balloons, white water rafting, and even parasailing 600' over the Gulf of Mexico at the spry young age of 82!
Above all else, Catherine valued her faith and treasured the precious time spent with her family. ''Her children rise up and call her blessed'' ~ Proverbs 31:28. ''The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but, you will never be the same; nor should you be the same, nor would you want to be.'' ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and John Kessler

Catherine is survived by her:
Children-Stephanie (Bob Freeman), White Rock, BC, Canada; Timothy (Jacquie Anderson) Seattle, WA; Susan, Bellingham, WA, Russell (Leslie Adair), Charleston, SC; Christopher (Suzanne Cameron), Seattle, WA; Kimberly, Queensland, AU; Franklin (Andrea Person), Atlanta, GA; Shawn (Melinda Plass), Memphis, TN; Tracy (Malinda Webster), Jackson, MS;
Grandchildren-Dylan and Glyndon (Rachel Grisham) Jewell; Jeremiah (Megan Humter) and Sarah Jewell; Chase (Heather), Seth (Chelsea Rose) and Hannah Jewell; Zachary and Nicole Jewell; Samuel and Patrick Jewell; Michail, Katija and Curtis Kressibucher; Devin and Colin Jewell; and Ian Jewell; Great-grandchildren-Nicholas Smith, Margaret and Catalina Jewell; Lexi Smith, Brody Jewell and Kendra Padgett; Damien Jewell; Alyssa and Ava Harvey; Sydney and Cora Jewell; Seth Jr. and Sara Beth Jewell;
Siblings-Mary Murphy Aylward and Leo (Cynthia Shortall) Murphy, Kilbride, St. John's Newfoundland Canada; Sisters-in-law-Phyllis Cox Murphy, Verna Jewell Polnaszek; Many, many loving nieces, nephews and cherished lifelong friends.

Catherine is predeceased by her husband, Charles R. Jewell (1984); son, Curtis (1997) and son-in law, Johnathan Taylor Powell (1999); parents James and Mary Densmore Murphy; siblings: Anthony (Nellie Yeo), Francis, John, William, James (Ada Viguers), Mike (Monica Slaney), Stephen (Marcella Colford) and Gerald Murphy; brothers-in-law Gus Aylward, Frank Jewell, Leo Polnaszek; sister-in-law Audrey Jewell.

Services: Visitation and Rosary will be held at 3pm, Sunday, December 14th, 2014 at Roller Citizens Funeral Home, 201 N.Pine St., West Memphis AR. Funeral Mass will be held at 2pm Monday, December 15th, 2014 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 411 N. Missouri St., West Memphis AR; immediately followed by graveside services at Crittenden Memorial Park, 2206 Hwy 64, Marion AR. A reception following graveside services, hosted by the Infant of Prague Guild, will be held at St. Michael's Catholic School. For online information: www.sigsfuneralservices.com or www.rollerfuneralhomes.com

Catherine asked that flowers be delivered to someone in a nursing home or a memorial donation can be made in her name to: Corpus Christi Parish, 260 Waterford Bridge Rd., St. John's NL Canada A1E 1E2; Infant of Prague Guild of St. Michael's Church, 411 Missouri St., West Memphis AR 72301; St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude's Place, Memphis, TN 38105; Friends for Life, HIV/AIDS Support Group, 43 N. Cleveland, Memphis, TN 38104; The Arc of Whatcom County, 2602 McLeod Rd., Bellingham, WA 98225; The American Parkinson's Disease Association, WA Chapter, 1660 S. Columbia Way, Seattle, WA 98108

Sign Guestbook

8 Condolence(s)