Obituary
Catherine Mae (Whitaker) Worley passed away with the peace and tranquility provided by our Lord on the evening of March 21st, 2016 at 11:00 pm in St Cloud, Florida .
Catherine, the oldest of seven children, was born in Grove City, OH February 11, 1928 on her grandparents’ dairy farm where she fostered her love of animals and gardening. She reminisced many times about her favorite pet chicken “Marcelli” who followed her to and from school. When she was 12 years old, with her generous and loving parents, John Edward Whitaker and Susan Mae Gochenouer Whitaker and siblings, she moved to Montreat, NC. She went to Black Mountain High School where she received her diploma. She also attended Montreat College and Cecil’s Business College.Catherine, along with her husband Buster and mother in law Myra Reed Worley, owned and operated the Edge-of-Town Motel in Newbridge, NC, the Host of America on Tunnel Road and the Edge-of-Town Restaurant in West Asheville, NC. In her professional life Catherine was a fantastic baker and flower arranger. The pie display case at the restaurant featuring her beautiful meringue and cream pies emptied early. Growing up in the Montreat community had a profound influence on Catherine’s life. It provided direct access to religious and intellectual ideas of the time as well opportunities to interact with notable people. Above all, Catherine was a dedicated and loving mother and grandmother. No matter what was going on, she took the time to acknowledge and provide loving care. Her loving and generous spirit is being carried forward through her daughter and son, her grandchildren, her surviving siblings, extended family and friends. Like a beautiful pearl whose origin is a piece of sand inadvertently placed in an oyster shell, Catherine’s illnesses in later life gave her the strength and determination to provide love, joy and laughter to those around her. Her final months were spent listening to the Bible on tape, her favorite hymns Amazing Grace, Going Home and When the Roll is Called Up Yonder. Also, enjoying delightful visits from her dear sweet Grandchildren, their mother Teresa, her son, daughter and son in law. Her new mission takes her to a wonderful place where she will be visiting with family and friends, gardening, listening to music, hymns, reading gardening books and the Bible to her heart’s content. We want to let her know that all her efforts were fruitful and she will be dearly missed. She will live in our hearts forever.
Mrs. Catherine was like an adopted grandmother to our children, Catherine and Christopher. "Little Catherine" loved telling her adopted grandmother stories about her pets, including her hamster, Faith (who got lost in the attic for 11 days), and her kitten, May Ann Cate Collins. And we all loved hearing about Mrs. Catherine's many pets and her love for animals.
A few years ago, our family came to visit Mrs. Catherine. We knew that she loved music, so little Catherine and her dad gave a short concert. While they were playing the piano, Christopher was lounging on the couch right next to Mrs. Catherine's wheelchair. He chatted with her for the longest time and later told us how much he loved her.
Mrs. Catherine was blessed to have the great love and devotion of her daughter, Kay, and her son-in-law Patrick.
Our prayers are with her family.