Obituary: Willis, Catherine D.

Age 61

Sun., Feb. 22, 2015

WILLIS, Catherine D. (Age 60) Catherine D. Willis, of Spokane passed away from acute heart failure on January 31, 2015.

The daughter of Melvin and Colleen Willis, she was born February 8, 1954 in Riverside, California and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California.

Catherine made Spokane her home when she attended Gonzaga University from which she obtained her BA degree in History.

After receiving her Masters Degree from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA, Catherine moved back to Spokane where she served on nearly two dozen neighborhood, corporate and community boards and committees over a period of 30 years.

She was a staunch fighter for the equality and dignity of all, especially the vulnerable in the LGBT community.

As a board member with Odyssey Youth Center she put at-risk children first.

A brilliant writer and political journalist, she served as editor and contributor for Stonewall News Northwest newspaper and Q View Northwest newsmagazine, as well as publisher and editor of Inland Northwest Lives online newspaper.

She brought the fight for equality and dignity for the LGBT community to the forefront of her passionate writing and activism.

She was compassionate and fierce, and stood up for her beliefs and for herself.

A Reiki practitioner, Catherine believed in the healing properties of spiritually guided life-force energy, and as an avid gardener she believed that nurturing a garden provided medicine for the soul.

Catherine often said that storytelling was her raison d’Ä‚Ĺžtre and collected stories wherever she went.

She believed that, “When we discover the unique stories of our friends, relatives and neighbors - even those whose lives seem very different than our own - we find, and can celebrate, our common humanity.”

Catherine leaves sisters Valerie Maxey (Charles) and Mickie Hempler (Skip), and brothers Barry and Jack Willis as well as three nieces, three nephews and many cherished friends.

A memorial gathering to celebrate Catherine’s life will be held Sunday, March 15 at 2:00pm.

To RSVP and for directions and additional details, contact Mickie Hempler at (775) 690-3089 or mhempler@aol.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Catherine’s memory may be made to Odyssey Youth Center, 1121 South Perry Street, Spokane, WA 99202 or Spokanimal, 710 North Napa St, Spokane, WA 99202.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com

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