March 17, 1931 - May 26, 2014
Catherine Joyce Fjellman-Andrews Obituary
Catherine Joyce was born March 17, 1931, near Roth, North Dakota in her grandparents' farmhouse in the same room where her mother had been born. Her mother, Myrtle Mabel Dixon McKenzie (Myrt) and her father John Archibald McKenzie were living with her grandparents because her father was out of work (again). There was a blizzard that day and Doc Green traveled in his buggy through the 5 inches of snow to deliver the baby girl. That was a celebration for this Irish family to have a new baby girl born on St. Patrick's Day! Joyce, as her Grandpa Dixon always called her, lived with her grandparents until she was to go to first grade in the "big city" of Westhope. She had learned to work hard in the fields, carrying water to the threshing crews, pulling weeds in the many gardens, and scrubbing the kitchen floors on her hands and knees. Cathie Jo, as her grandparents McKenzie called her, went to live with them in Westhope to attend school. This was a new life, as Grandfather McKenzie owned the bank and lived in comfort. This life of luxury came to a quick end when Grandfather McKenzie died before the school year was over. A childless school friend of Myrt, Cathie Jo's mother, offered to care for her. The father was head of the electric and telephone company for the city and she would go to the office with him on Saturday mornings and play on the typewriter. That was her first telephone company experience! Her mom and dad had been separated for over a year and Myrt had been in California, acting in "B" movies. The Court ordered them to make a decision about their children?s future, they divorced, and the Court awarded custody to Myrt, who arranged for Cathie, and brothers John, 6 and Jerome, 3 to travel by train from North Dakota to California. Cathie was the one in charge and the redcaps on the train helped the three get safely to their new home. Life in the movie industry demanded continually moving and Myrt was
often on location from Sunday through Friday, leaving Cathie to take care of her brothers. To avoid the welfare people who were threatening to put the children in foster homes, they moved to Nevada. There Myrt got a job in a club, where she met Joseph Francis Quinn, a 36 year old bachelor. Myrt and Joe were married on November 22, 1942 and moved to Spokane. Joyce and the boys followed on the train. They settled happily into a real house and Joyce attended Emerson and Audubon Elementary, Havermale Junior High, and North Central High School. At 12 years old Joyce began her working career, with babysitting and dishwashing for neighbors, including the Davenports, Mademas, and Franzs. Then as the first girl to deliver newspapers for the Chronicle, she remembered standing on the corner on VJ day and selling 100 papers to people in cars going home. From 13 through 17 Joyce worked at the Arctic Ice Creamery on NW Boulevard. That's where she met John Trautman, in July 1947. They became engaged shortly after and were married in Emmanuel Presbyterian Church on August 1, 1948. This was four days after her graduation from high school. John transferred from WSU School of Engineering to Gonzaga School of Business and graduated in June 1950. To supplement their income from the GI Bill, Joyce went to work at the Crescent Fountain and then in February 1949 to the phone company as a business office messenger. In May they moved into a tiny shake farm house in Nine Mile Falls. Gary was born in September of 1950 and Joyce went back to work four months later to pay hospital bills and buy a Maytag washer and dryer. That working stint was brief, as John Robert was born on Christmas in 1951. In 1952 the family and friends built a pool, where Joyce taught swimming lessons every summer. She stayed home to care for the boys until they entered school in 1956. Her dream of a big home was realized in 1963, when they paid off the mortgage and got a new one for the 3 bedroom, 2 bath home that still sits on the property (with a renovation or two along the way!) Their home became a center for friends and neighbors for Saturday night parties and Sunday potlucks. The Chris Craft was added and the "Sand Stompers" were born. The group filled the river with happy growing families every weekend. When the boys graduated from high school and moved on to college, Joyce moved into several management positions at the telephone company, got her driver's license at 40, became a grandma at 41, and bought her and the Trautman's first "new" car, a 1977 Buick Regal. She called it her baby. Cathie saved enough to take John to Hawaii in 1978 to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, the first of a dozen trips they would take during John's Christmas break from teaching. Hawaii was a destination that lured her through the rest of her life. By June 1980 Cathie (her business name, while Joyce remained her family and Nine Mile name) started her Mary Kay career. She retired from the phone company in 1984 and delved full time into Mary Kay. This is where she shined-literally and figuratively! She had 65 quarters as a star consultant, 4 years in the National Queen's court of Recruiting, 9 years in the National Queen's court of Sales and once selected Miss National Go-Give. Mary Kay offered income, travel, friendships, accolades, and prizes, including cars. During those same years, she also cared for John's mom in their home. She was a master multi-tasker before we even had a word for it! John and Cathie divorced in 1997. She renewed her friendship with Roger Fjellman, a telephone company employee with whom she had worked for over 30 years. Friendship grew into love and they were married in 1999. They enjoyed ten years of dining, dancing, traveling, and being with family and friends. Roger was devoted to Cathie and together they expanded the Nine Mile home to include a Mary Kay office, a real master suite and a three car garage. After Roger succumbed to Alzheimer's in 2009, Cathie found another traveling companion in Pat Sheehan. Cancer claimed him in 2011. She wasn't done yet! In 2012 she met Don Andrews on the Internet and they were married in October of that year. Together they enjoyed traveling and visiting friends and family, gardening, and managing their menagerie of three dogs and two cats. Don was a faithful companion who spent many hours and nights during Cathie's last weeks at ManorCare, where she had a parade of family and friends throughout her stay. Joyce carried her love of family and her quest for achieving dreams and goals through to her last days. Her generosity, her positive outlook, and her belief that all things are possible will be missed. Cathie Joyce was one of a kind! The memorial celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 2 PM at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, 1929 W Chelan Ave, Spokane, WA. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center or Spokane Humane Society.
Comentários