Cathleen "Cathy" Brown, 61, departed her family and friends on Sunday, February 11, 2024, after a hard fought battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Cathy was born September 15, 1962, in Evans City, PA to parents James and Maxine Cary.
After attending and graduating from Seneca Valley High school, Cathy attended Slippery Rock University, where she met Jeff Brown, originally from Grove City, PA. The pair married and settled in State College, where together they raised four children: Joshua, Somer, Carson, and Mackenzie.
Cathy enjoyed the "simple" things in life: Time with her grandchildren, an afternoon at the garden center, and relaxing on the back deck with close friends and family on a nice summer evening. A fervent lover of antiques, Cathy also found happiness traveling throughout the Pennsylvania countryside during her weekends, searching for pieces that caught her eye and matched her eclectic sense of style.
Cathy built a career around her passion for helping those in need, most notably in her last position prior to illness as the Executive Director of CentrePeace, a local non-profit that works to help redirect and restore the lives of those who have been incarcerated.
Cathy is predeceased by both of her parents, as well as her brother, Curtis. Along with her children, she is survived by two sisters, Vickie and Angie, and her beloved grandchildren, Bennett (9), Ellie (1), Wesley (9 months), and a baby girl yet to be born.
A private celebration of life will be held honoring Cathy at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Cathy's name to one of the following groups that meant so much to Cathy and her family:
CentrePeace: As mentioned above, CentrePeace is a local non-profit organization that works to help redirect and restore the lives of those who have been incarcerated. This mission became the heartbeat of Cathy's career, and through it she was able to help many.
https://centrepeace.org/make-a-gift
Team Gleason: Team Gleason strives to improve the lives of those living with ALS by delivering innovative technology and equipment, as well as by providing an improved overall quality of life experience for both the individual and their families. This group not only provided a wealth of resources to Cathy and her family, but they also helped to finance her fully customized wheelchair, which allowed Cathy to maintain independence longer than she would have normally been able to.
https://teamgleason.org/donate/
CentreCare: CentreCare is a non-profit skilled nursing care community that Cathy stayed in when her care required more medical attention than her family could provide. While she was only there for about a month, the nursing staff and care aides quickly became family. Josh, Somer, Carson, and Kenzie cannot thank the team enough for everything they did to help Cathy through the last phase of her life.
