“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed, citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead
My sister Catherine believed that anything was possible. I’m not exactly sure where she got this strong conviction. Though raised in the same home with her, I was far from convinced of this as a child, and only after seeing this self-fulfilling prophesy come to fruition in Catherine’s own life was I finally brought around. Catherine was serious and headstrong for as long as I remember. Always ‘Catherine’ and never ‘Cathy,’ she seemed to be engaged in important work even when playing with her dolls, or calculating what should be done at the playground. It’s not that she wasn’t fun to be around, you just had to remember that the slide really needed to be addressed before the swing. As she grew older, she seemed to always have a tight group of ‘collaborators’ around her, and soon her projects became ones that little brothers couldn’t offer much to. Nonetheless, she was always there for me if I needed help. The fact that I passed algebra is certainly a testament to that fact.
Though life threw her some curve balls, she always seemed well up to the task of meeting those challenges, and the ones she set for herself. While attending college and working full time, Cynthia wrote “Mass Theory: The Complete Story” which remains one of the definitive works on the subject. She lectured and taught at a bewildering array of prestigious institutions. In later years, she became a committed activist to a host of causes, most recently helping to found, and serving as the director of The Legacy Trust. She was a passionate advocate of human and animal rights and social justice, and a fearless opponent of the abuse of power in government.
Though she was always an expressive and loving person, I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one who was surprised by her devotion and doting when she became a grandmother. All the causes seemed to take a back seat as she surrounded those children with her love and her full attention.
And so, It came as that much more of a shock when we learned of her illness. Always the fighter, we had every confidence that she would soundly defeat the cancer that threatened her. We knew that she had so much more to give, to teach, to share with her grandchildren, that it just had to come out OK.
Somehow it didn’t. Still, as I stand her before you all today, looking out at the many lives she touched and remembering all the causes she championed and contributed to; I know that she has achieved what she set out to. Anything is possible. She proved that to us all.
Catherine will always be remembered for her warmth and generosity, her commitment to humanity as a group and as individuals, her brilliance and unflagging optimism, and her great big grandmother’s heart. She set an example of courage and compassion that inspired everyone who knew her. God Speed, Catherine – Heaven only knows what’s in store for you next!
Now the laborer’s task is o’er;
Now the battle day is past;
Now upon the farther shore
Lands the voyager at last.
Father, in thy gracious keeping,
Leave we now thy servant sleeping.
“Earth to earth and dust to dust,”
Calmly now the words we say,
Left behind, we wait in trust
For the resurrection day.
Father, in thy gracious keeping,
Leave we now thy servant sleeping.
-John Ellerton