Catherine Mary Ferrari, 63

Cathy Ferrari, 63, of Kalispell, passed away on March 3, 2019, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center with her son Chris by her side.

Cathy was born Feb. 24, 1956, in Pontiac, Michigan, to Roy and Mary Ferrari. She was raised and schooled in Detroit.

She had her first son Chris in Detroit. She then spent time in Alpena, Michigan, where she had her second son, Anthony, before moving to California. Cathy lived in the Bay Area before moving to Southern California. She eventually moved back to the Bay Area before heading to Kalispell. What brought her to the Flathead Valley were her son Chris and her grandchildren. She wanted to be near them to watch them grow and to spoil.

Cathy worked for Seller Direct as an office manager. She then worked as a bartender at Marina Cay in Bigfork. She eventually went to work for KRMC as a billing specialist where she had many friends who miss her.

Cathy loved spoiling her grandkids. She enjoyed her garden before COPD and fire season made it too hard to do. She loved family picnics on Flathead Lake, hanging out at Lake McDonald, and floating the Flathead River. She loved cooking for her family and making “snack bags” for the 11-year-old twins to take to school. She enjoyed “hitting it big” at the local casinos and was always up for a poker game. Jigsaw and crossword puzzles kept her busy during the winter months, and she was so good at them.

Cathy made friends wherever she went. Her sense of humor and “smarts” will be missed by many.

Cathy loved her kitties Archie and Abby. Archie passed in 2017 and was truly missed by her and his twin Abby.

Cathy was a strong, independent woman who raised her sons on her own. Things could get hard, but they always pulled through.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Mary; her grandparents, Alec and Daisy Ferrari and Oscar and Mary Ellement; aunt, Marge; brother, David Ferrari; and sister, Colleen Dacey.

She is survived by her sons, Christopher Ferrari of Kalispell and Anthony Ferrari of Oklahoma; brother, Pat Ferrari, of California; sisters, Rosie (Doug) Higham of Kalispell, and Karen Woodward of Michigan; nieces, Sarah Dacey of California, Rebecca Showalter of Michigan, Amy Medlen of Michigan, Diana Zeier of California, and Rachel Higham of California; grandchildren, Jeffery, Christofer, Alac, Samantha, Raven, Chase, Gage, Tyler, Roxi, Chloe and Alexander; great-nieces and -nephews in Michigan; many friends and co-workers from Michigan, California and Montana, Marilyn Bunker, Darlene Hoylman and Mark Easton, just to name a few.

A memorial will be held on June 15 with the venue still to be decided.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Heart Locker in Kalispell.