Catherine Pamela Windust

Born in Woodstock to parents William Wallace and Bess Clothier in 1926, grew up in Toronto with her twin sister Barbara and brother Jim and later Gores Landing where her parents had purchased a hunting lodge on Rice Lake. Catherine (Kit) graduated from the University of Toronto in 1948 with a degree in physical education, trained as a radio operator at Radio College Canada and travelled to Europe and beyond in the post war years to work with the Red Cross – ultimately meeting her future husband Joe, an RAF pilot, in Cairo, Egypt. Catherine and Joe married in the UK and raised three children, Paul, Gillian and Tony while moving frequently between Joe’s RAF postings in England, Germany and Ireland. When Joe was seconded to the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1970, Catherine remained in the UK and, as a single parent, attended King Alfred’s College in Winchester to earn her Certificate in Education. She then embarked on a career as a secondary school teacher with a specialty in general science. The family emigrated from the UK to Canada in 1975 following Joe’s retirement, moving to Rice Lake where they built a house on land given to her by her mother. Catherine continued teaching in a supply role; but tiring of this, reinvented herself as a pewterer. Following basic training under Douglas Shenstone in Ottawa in 1980 she established a studio in her home on Rice Lake and then later in Waterloo. Catherine would always consider herself an artisan rather than an artist but produced many original hollow-ware pieces under the Fivewinds Pewter name – all beautifully and meticulously hand plenished. Her industry, particularly with smaller ornaments sold at craft shows, provided her with a viable income for many years after she separated from Joe and he returned to the UK. True to her roots, Catherine avidly pursued many sports over her lifetime: cross country skiing, cycling, sailing, walking, tennis, canoeing and especially swimming were her favourites. She was also a qualified glider pilot and SCUBA diver. Even late in life Catherine taught aquafitness classes at the Waterloo Swimplex and the pool at her Margaret Avenue apartment building. When she returned to Canada, Catherine rekindled her relationship with her sister Barbara and they embarked on many multi-month camping trips across the USA and Canada including driving the Dempster highway to the arctic. For Catherine any new adventure was worth pursuing.

Catherine was a strong woman with great integrity, keenly aware of many injustices in the world and would speak her mind. She gave back to the community through volunteer work with Hospice and tutoring for the Literacy Group of Waterloo and her volunteerism was recognised at both the municipal and federal levels. Catherine will always be a great inspiration to all those she knew, especially her grandchildren, Clio, Molly and Rose. Life did not wear her out – she wore life out.

Catherine's family will receive relatives and friends at Westmount Memorial Celebration Centre, 1001 Ottawa St. S., Kitchener (519-743-8900), on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 for a celebration of her life in the chapel at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. Online condolences at www.westmountfuneralchapel.com