CATHERINE, you know I had to say something..
It is with great sadness that we, her friends and fellow bloggers and genealogists, recently learnt of the passing of our friend, Catherine Crout - Habel.
.
This was so unexpected to most of us and the waves of disbelief and sadness spread quickly., yet I can't think of Catherine without smiling...
Catherine first made her mark in the blogging circles with her blog,
It was a must read for many, passionate, informative, full of family history and always seeming as if Catherine was talking beside us. As bloggers do, we tended to become friends quite quickly. Catherine lived in South Australia, she was very enthusiastic about the history of her state, and interwove her family stories with the tales of the times.
Catherine's love of her family shone through all. She often included very personal stories in the hope that by sharing them, she may have been able to help others. One in particular was about her son, Jarren, who died from measles when just an infant. She mourned him all her life, but delighted in telling us what a beautiful family she still had.. she was so proud of them all.
Rather than tell Catherine's stories, I'll let her tell you via her posts... via the various links I will add here... she had so much to offer...
What I can do is to tell you about my friend, who made me laugh and made me cry, often at the same time.. We didn't always agree, but that was ok. However we were often involved in the same things, such as bringing various issues to the fore...
Catherine, of course, went on to really get involved, working with another friend, Kylie Willison and others...
Catherine loved to see the funny side of things... as she showed with her lesser known blog....
She was passionate about history, genealogy, her family, her friends, her very many causes ( just Google her name), did I mention family? She would argue at the drop of a hat, then tell you a funny story to follow... she had a great sense of the ridiculous, and had a way of including you in the joke. As a former teacher, who never really stopped teaching others, she also loved to learn. We were working together on a project that remains at this time unfinished, but I will finish it for you, Catherine... and to think I spent all that time teaching you how to use EXCEL...
Catherine, ever the teacher...
Catherine didn't often talk about her health, but this one post was an exception... she scared us all, but she laughed it off saying if she could beat that, she could beat anything. Unfortunately, there was more to come...
Rest in peace my friend, while we are saddened, Heaven will be a brighter place for having you there and while we all know that there is a season for all of us, it is still hard to say goodbye....
♡♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
The photos below are courtesy of her daughter, Kirrily...
Catherine, her great grandmother, mother and grandmother...
Catherine with Kirrily
Catherine and Cullen
Catherine and grandson Jay
and Catherine so happy on one of the family gatherings she loved so much.
♡♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
