Catherine "Cathy" Koehler

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a wonderful wife and mother. Cathy passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family at the age of 53. Cathy’s journey began August 28th, 1957. She married her best friend and soul mate Larry Koehler 35 years ago. She felt so blessed to have four wonderful children. Brad, Mike (Julie), Ryan (Steph) and Meghan (Kyle) all of Cambridge. She will be missed by Grandchildren Hailey, Cameron and Katie. Cathy has five siblings Charlotte (Ray) Campbell, Helen Isley (Bob), Betty Gingich (Ron), Fran Isley (Judy) and Gerry Isley (Helen). She also leaves behind her wonderful in-laws Elizabeth Boutilier (Hugh), Richard Koehler (Pauline) and Julie Koehler. She is survived by many nieces, nephews and special family friend Rachel Perry. She is predeceased by her parents Fred and Marjorie (Stroeder) Isley, mother and father in-law Rose and Harvey Koehler and brother- in laws Wayne and Gerry Koehler. Family meant more than anything to Cathy. It was first and foremost in her life. She also had a passion for her work. Larry and Cathy started Larca Custom Machining Inc. They named the company using the letters of their names. May the joy and love they shared live on forever. A special thanks is given to all the wonderful and caring staff at Grand River Regional Cancer Centre. Also to the nurses from ParaMed for the love and care given to Cathy. Family and friends will be received at Coutts Funeral Home and Cremation Centre 96 St. Andrews Street, Cambridge (519 621 1650) on Tuesday May 24th and Wednesday May 25th at 2-4 and 7-9 for visiting. Prayers to take place Wednesday at 8:30 pm. Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday May 26th at St. Clements Roman Catholic Church 745 Duke Street, Cambridge at 10 am. Burial at Park Lawn Cemetery to follow. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to Grand River Regional Cancer Centre.

A Biography of Catherine "Cathy" Koehler by her loving family:

Catherine"Cathy" Koehler was a natural leader whose winning presence allowed her to take control of various situations with ease. Equipped with a clear and calculating focus, she possessed a tough-minded, take-charge attitude. She had the ability to make even routine situations seem exciting, and she was at ease in the role of problem-solver. She was the type of person who could execute plans well, and had the drive to step onto center stage and take on whatever challenge confronted her. Cathy always sought the scene where the action was occurring. Sociable, analytical, and pleasant, she was undoubtedly an individual who enjoyed life’s challenges.

Cathy was born on August 28, 1957. She first greeted the world in Galt Ontario at South Waterloo Memorial Hospital. Currently known as Cambridge Memorial. Her parents were Fred and Marjorie. They travelled to Clearwater Florida, Camping in Port Elgin together, travelled to Saskatchewan to see Aunt Eleanor. She grew up on 1962 Eagle Street North, Cambridge Ontario. Always able to express herself well, Cathy was always able to be open and direct in her communication and was eternally optimistic in her outlook on life. Armed with a great wit, she was raised to be accepting of others and to employ a strong personal work ethic. These were all traits that would help her throughout her life. Cathy always brought stray animals home. She always had a hard time with her hair because it was so curly and long. She was a miracle, when she was 6 she got really sick and the doctors didnt think she would make it and she did.

Blessed with a balanced attitude, Cathy was able to relate well to others. Her occasional role as family mediator gave her the opportunity to ease tense situations when they occurred. She was raised with five siblings. Her siblings from oldest to youngest were, Charlotte, Helen, Gerald, Fran and Betty. Cathy and all her siblings always got along great together. Cathy had many fond memories of her and her siblings. Some of these memories include Betty and Cathy were at card night making dinner and drinks and they spilt the whisky in the gravy and laughed and laughed. Helen flew with Cathy to visit family. Every year all Cathy's brothers, sisters and their spouses would go down to Panama City Beach, Florida and they would all have the time of their lives. She had a strong desire to be treated fairly and would readily offer others the same fairness in return.

Cathy enjoyed spending time with relatives while growing up. Cathy's grandparents were Josephine and George Isley and Alexander and Mary Stroeder. Cathy never met her grandparents. However Cathy's had her extended family which included Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Cliff.

As a young child, Cathy showed her creative ability in many ways ranging from her various hobbies to her ability to develop new twists on old games. She always seemed to enjoy new activities and was constantly pursuing a variety of interests. A take-charge person even as a child, Cathy liked being actively involved.

Cathy was outgoing and animated. She enjoyed doing just about anything with her friends, especially playing games playing cards and hide and seek. She attended St. Michaels School. Some of her best childhood friends were Heidi Phillipi and Nancy Jefferies. During Cathy's childhood she lived in a house out in the country with lots of land. Cathy painted the upstairs room bright hot pink. She enjoyed the company of pets as a child, especially Sloopy the dog and Skippy the dog. She would push Skippy in a baby stroller down the driveway. As a child, Cathy would go to Saskatchewan out west to visit family.

Known to most people as a focused, logical, open-minded and driven individual, Cathy was able to utilize these qualities to succeed in high school. She satisfied her curious nature by utilizing a hands-on approach to learning. She was good with facts and had an excellent memory. She graduated from Preston High School.

While it was obvious that Cathy had many of the tools necessary to ensure success in the classroom, she also knew that there were plenty of things to do and enjoy outside of school. Those close to her were well aware of her open, practical style of communication and relaxed approach to life in general. People appreciated these traits in her. She was uncomplicated and straightforward in her relationships, which allowed her to accept people for who they were. Some of her best friends during high school were Kim Solonik, Fiona Mathews, Heidi Phillipi and Cathy Downey. Kim and Cathy would always skip school and go to Frans.

The teen years bring more freedom, but also more responsibility. Cathy was not intimidated by either. Her drive and enthusiasm for life led her to accept and even embrace them in stride. She learned about work when she was employed at Brookfield Golf Course. When it was time for her to drive, Cathy drove her dads Buick.

Cathy continued to enjoy pets throughout high school, as was evident with her relationship with Skippy and Sloopy.

For Cathy, relationships were precious things that should be valued. That was particularly true with her relationship with Larry Frederick Koehler. They met through Cathys sister Betty and her husband Ron. They were both dating other people at the time but had instant chemistry. Soon after, they began dating.

Larry sold his blue corvette to afford a ring for Cathy. After a short time of dating, Larry proposed.

She exchanged vows with Larry on May 8th, 1976. The bridesmaids were Elizabeth Boutilier, Rita Campbell and Kim Solonik. The groomsmen were Jimmy Koehler, Fran Isley and Earl Dolph. The best Man was Wayne Koehler (Brother in law). The Maid of Honor was Betty Gingrich (Sister). The Flower Girl was Cindy Gingrich (Niece). The Ring Bearer was Jeff Isley (Nephew). The wedding ceremony took place at St. Clements Church in Cambridge Ontario. They had a large wedding. The service was officiated by Father Diodoti. The wedding reception was held at Hungarian Hall.

Following the ceremony, Cathy and Larry managed to get away by themselves for a little while and enjoy their honeymoon. The night following the wedding Larry and Cathy drove to London and stayed in the Holiday Inn for the night. The next morning they drove to Clearwater Beach Florida. Cathy and Larry were people who had a special bond. They had an amazing marriage and loved each other more than anything in the world.

Cathy was attentive to Larry's feelings. She did her best to be charming to everyone, but this relationship was special. She brought into it her gift for being able to give freely and generously. This was just one of the things she did to create a happy home. Their first residence was an apartment on Grand Ave South in Galt. It was a two bedroom. The first house they purchased was on Eleanor Ave in Cambridge. It was a great neighborhood. Their backyard backed onto William G. Davis School. A good listener with an engaging personality, Cathy was able to bring pleasure and unexpected humor to the relationship. The couple incorporated both old and new friends into their relationship. Some of their friends during this time included Terri and Luis DaSilva. Terri, Luis, Betty, Ron, Larry and Cathy went on a houseboat. It was the end of their trip and on their way back it was rough on Sturgeon Lake. Water came over the front deck. Cathy was already wearing a lifejacket and grabbed another one and ran to the back of the boat saying "I'm not going to drown on this boat". They were all travel buddies.

Cathy was a generous woman who valued that same quality in others. So it is little wonder that she was so active and giving in her community. She was a member of several community groups. She was a gifted problem-solver who worked hard to help accomplish group goals. This skill made her a wonderful asset to the various groups and organizations to which she belonged. Always matter-of-fact about what needed to be done, Cathy worked steadily to meet any organization’s goals. Cathy enjoyed helping Preston Minor Softball and Preston Minor Hockey.

Very much like a kid herself, Cathy identified with the inquisitive and creative side shown by just about all children. She was able to direct her energy and spontaneity towards helping her offspring acquire many skills, including those often considered common sense. Cathy was blessed with four children, Brad, Mike, Ryan and Meghan. Because she was always so in tune with her children, Cathy was often pleasantly surprised by how much pride they could bring to her. Cathy stayed up until 6am to get Mikes entrepreneur project finished. They worked on it for hours. Cathy, Larry, Meghan and Kyle went on a Caribbean Cruise and one night was on the balcony of Cathy and Larrys room and had a lot of fun. Cathy used to take Brad to all his hockey and baseball games. She was always there. She also took Brad, Mike and Ryan to Storybook Gardens in London. Cathy would always yell in the stands at Ryans hockey games. You always knew you did something because you could hear her from the ice. She also took Ryan everywhere for soccer, baseball and hockey.

As with other aspects of their lives, Cathy tried her best to provide the children with a safe and nurturing home. Their house was had a huge backyard. The birds would always get in the house. Mike and Ryan had to share a room and Brad had the room downstairs. She also tried to share her enjoyment of other aspects of her life. One area in particular was her love of pets, which she did by allowing them to have Spunky as the family dog. Everyone grew up with him and loved him. Susie the dog came after. You would always know when Spunky was around because of his loud chain. The children got to experience vacations to Virginia Beach and Port Elgin to the trailer.

Later in life, she was blessed with three grandchildren that she loved with all her heart, Hailey, Cameron and Katie.

Cathy was a flexible worker who was able to draw the best from others around her. A persuasive individual who was quick to make necessary decisions, one of her strengths was her ability to think on her feet. She could be a leader who made decisions that had great impact. Cathy could read body language well, so she was able to read into situations and motivate others more effectively, based upon her observations. She was a good negotiator who enjoyed new challenges. Cathy could multi-task, and she was endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit, allowing her to think beyond standard norms when it came to resolving issues in her work environment.

Cathy never seemed to be afraid of work and was often willing, even early on, to tackle new and different challenges. Years ago, Cathy worked at Brookfield Golf Course. Her primary occupation was her and Larry's company, Larca Custom Machining (started in 1987). They named the company using the first letters of their names. The company has grown considerably. Cathy had to be the most giving, understanding boss/business owner there was. She was great to work for. Her job consisted of many things. Cathy also held a position at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Human resources. Though she rarely sought out any accolades for her achievements, she would humbly accept any recognition that came her way. A major accomplishment that Cathy was able to experience was when she created a family business and the company has grown a lot.

Cathy made tons of friends during all her jobs, she was very loved.

Cathy enjoyed her leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. She had something of an artistic flair in many of the things that she did. She put this creativity toward all of her pastimes. Some of her favorite hobbies were bike riding, travelling, gardening, ceramics and cards.

Throughout her life, Cathy developed many likes and passions, things that put a smile on her face included travelling. When it came to favorite beverages, she particularly enjoyed having a Starbucks black coffee every morning and the odd glass of Red Wine. She also liked to read, especially any books by James Patterson. She also liked reading Good Housekeeping. She loved many movies, mostly chick flicks. Her favorite shows consisted of American Idol, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Greys Anatomy. She was lucky to attend Bon Jovi, Nickleback and Taylor Swift Concerts. Nickleback was her favorite concert of the three but her favorite music was Bon Jovi and some other country music.

Because she was not afraid to be assertive and aggressive at times, Cathy was a perfect match for athletics and exercise. She was enthusiastic about these activities and her confidence served her well. Cathy also enjoyed watching her favorite teams and events whenever she got the opportunity. Her favorite sport to watch was Hockey. The team for her was the Toronto Maple Leafs. She also loved to watch her three boys Mike, Ryan and Brad play hockey and daughter Meghan play Ringette.

Catherine Koehler left us on May 21, 2011. She passed away at home in Cambridge Ontario. Unfortunately she was only 53. The cause of death was stomach cancer. She was preceded in death by father and mother. She is survived by husband, children, brothers and sisters. Services were handled by Coutts Funeral Home & Cremation Centre. Cathy was laid to rest at Parklawn Cemetery in Cambridge Ontario.

Cathy was the kind of person who could win others over easily. A direct communicator, she relied on her senses to increase her involvement and awareness of others. She was always able to provide amusing repartee to her many friends and acquaintances, offering a seemingly endless supply of quips, anecdotes, jokes, and stories. She enjoyed her life to the fullest because of the limitless experiences it had to offer. This is how everyone will remember Catherine"Cathy" Koehler.