Catherine M. Willard

Catherine Mary Penko Willard, age 64, passed away unexpectedly on November 30, 2022. She was born in Cleveland Ohio on April 22, 1958 to Charles and Marie Penko. She was married to her beloved husband Timothy Willard for 31 years, and they adopted their beautiful daughter Kaylee from China in 2013. She had longed to be a mother, and Kaylee was a blessing to have in their lives.

Cathy’s childhood and teenage years were spent in Cleveland, Ohio. When her parents found out she was deaf, they sought educational experts who recommended that Cathy learn lipreading and the family was instructed to speak and not learn sign language. Although she did excel as a lipreader, she didn’t have the benefit of an interpreter while in mainstreamed classes. With dedication and love, her parents worked hard with her on her studies and were very proud of her accomplishments. She graduated from Mayfield High School in 1976 where she excelled academically and was a proud member of the high school marching band.

The world opened up to Cathy when she attended National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. Cathy learned American Sign Language (ASL), and she took great joy in communicating freely and easily with friends and teachers. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After a brief move to Kansas City, she returned to NTID and completed her degree in Computer Science. She also played in the NTID Combo band, which is how she met her husband Tim. She met many lifelong friends, and their daughter is attending college at NTID now.

Cathy and Tim were married in the RIT chapel on campus on May 18, 1991. They moved to Fredericksburg, VA, where she worked for Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC) in Dahlgren, VA. She worked in various computer-related positions, including database administrator prior to her retirement in 2018, after 28 years. When Tim retired in 2021, they moved to The Villages, Florida in 2022. Although Cathy’s residency was short-lived, she adored every moment living in such a beautiful, warm and fun place. She was so thrilled to be among friends who also attended NTID, as well as other old friends outside of The Villages.

Cathy’s involvement in The Villages included being a volunteer for the National Deaf Pickleball Tournament, which had over 200 deaf players this past November, and most recently was asked to join an advisory board to advocate for equal access of the Deaf Community. She was also an English tutor for NTID as well as a Mentor. She enjoyed all kinds of activities, photography, traveling, dining out and most of all, being with her family. She cherished her dogs, Cambrie and Kara, and treated them with as much tenderness as she did her family and friends.

She had a tremendous mind and sense of humor. She overcame many challenges and saw them as opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. In her words and deeds, she showed us how love, kindness, and devotion to family and friends enabled you to endure and overcome situations that seemed unbearable. Though she lived far away from her parents and siblings, she always told them how much she loved them and they responded in kind. She kept in touch with friends all across the country. She had a beautiful smile, and loved to hug, and bestowed the light of her being even on strangers.

Cathy’s faith in God was so strong, and now she has all the answers to the questions she pondered as she sought the meaning of life’s hardships and joys. As we go forward without her, we do so knowing she would want us to put our energy into spreading the light she bestowed on us. Rest easy dearest wife, mother, daughter sister, aunt and friend. Yours was a life well lived. And those who knew you are honored to have been a part of it.

Cathy is survived by her husband Timothy and daughter Kaylee, her mother Marie Penko, her twin sister Elizabeth Horsfall and siblings Charles Penko, Nancy Knoble (Paul) and Mary Bales (Robert). She was a loving Aunt to CJ, Tom, Jessica, Michelle, Kaitlin, Maureen, Arielle, Jillian, and Jacob. She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Penko.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held at Oxford Assembly of God Church’s Fellowship Hall at 12114 US-301, Oxford, FL 34484 near The Villages on Saturday January 21, 2023 at 10:30-11 am. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please make a gift to the NTID Foundation Endowed Scholarship. Gifts can be made online at www.rit.edu./makeagift. Checks can be made payable to NTID Foundation Endowed Scholarship and sent to NTID Office of the President, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DignityMemorialWildwood.com for the Willard family.