Catherine M. (Webster) Whitehead

Catherine Marie “Cathy” Whitehead (nee Webster), born March 22, 1947 died on Monday, October 19, 2020 at her home, following a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Cathy is preceded in death by her parents, William and Helen (DuFrenne) Webster; siblings Lynn Webster and Warren Webster; brother-in-law Jerry Kreitner and in-laws, Charles “Gene” and Rose Marie “Toots” Whitehead.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Larry Whitehead, married on August 21, 1965 and their daughters, Rebecca (Chris) Miller of Georgetown, TX; Karin (Edwin) Hendrick of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; Barbara Whitehead (Jim Spence) of Belleville, IL; Suzanne Whitehead of Belleville, IL and Adrianne (Paul) Jouet of Harahan, LA.  She also is survived by ten grandchildren: Madeleine, Savannah, and Jacquelyn Miller; Michael (Briana), Catherine, Nicholas and Sam Hendrick; and Cate, Violet, and Sylvia Jouet.

Cathy is survived by sisters, Mary Jeanette (Jerry) Tribout and Helen Kreitner; in-laws Jeanne Whitehead, Tom and Dianne Whitehead, Cookie and Phil Koesterer and Julie and Ray McIntyre; her cousins, Ken Duchnowski, Linda Schmulbach and Sandy Wetzel and many nieces, nephews, Godchildren, cousins and friends.

Cathy was a homemaker first and a creative artist second.  She was the owner of Magic in the Underground, specializing in custom sewing, decorating, painting, drawing and home décor for countless clients.  The quality of her craft is well-known by those clients lucky enough to own a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Cathy was a lifelong member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, an avid tennis player and golfer, a great joke teller, a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, a cook, a baker, a seamstress and a loyal friend.  She was the voice of the St. Clair Country Club swim team for nearly 20 years and served as a volunteer at the Bishop’s Christmas Dinner for the Poor since 1987.

Cathy graciously donated her brain to Washington University School of Medicine to further research in dementia diseases.  In lieu of flowers, donations to Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org), St. John’s Community Care (www.stjohnscc.org), or Family Hospice of Belleville (www.familyhospice.org) are appreciated.

Visitation will be held from 2-8pm on Tuesday, October 27th at Kassly Mortuary in Fairview Heights.  The rosary will be prayed at 6:30pm. 

Mrs. Whitehead’s family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at Barnes Memory Center, St. John’s Home & Community Care, our caregivers Kacy Hermer and Kelly Heggemeier, as well as our “angels” from Family Hospice.  All of their care is appreciated more than we can ever express.

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