Judith Francis Cattell

Judith Francis Cattell, a resident at Meadowlark Hills, passed away Thursday January 20, 2022, at the Good Shepard Hospice House surrounded by her family’s love, with her son and daughter holding her hands. Judith (nee Judith Francis Boland) was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, on August 6, 1928. She graduated from Smith College in 1950, with a degree in anthropology. She married Richard Brenneman Cattell on Sept. 7, 1951 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was a loving mother, mother-in-law, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, and devoted friend. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her. As one of her friends said, “She epitomized the best in aging to me - - to keep your mind and body active and engaged.”

Judy enjoyed the outdoors, nurtured by her mother and many years of canoeing and camping. Her junior year of college was spent in New Mexico as an anthropology major learning about the Navajo and their symbiotic relationship to the arid southwestern environment. During Christmas break, she and a fellow student traveled to visit Mexico - almost unheard of for two young women alone at that time. She continued her outdoor adventures with Dick, backpacking in almost every wilderness area in Colorado, much of Wyoming, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and Hawaii. They rafted down the Colorado River, through Glen Canyon, before Glen Canyon dam was constructed; rafted the Green River from Green River, Utah to the confluence with the Colorado River; and floated the Danube from its source, to the Black sea in their rubber raft before the Berlin Wall came down. They bicycled through China on one of the first trips where Americans were allowed, trekked in the mountains of Nepal, and to Machu Pichu. Judy also embraced Dick’s love of sailing through bareboat charters in the Bahamas’, Virgin Islands and Grenadines. Some of her favorite times were watching birds and wildlife during quiet and peaceful sails in their own boat on Lake Mead in the desert southwest, and Lake Granby in the Colorado mountains.

Judy had a remarkable talent for seeking out and forming connections with people of all ages and backgrounds. Mount Vernon, in the foothills west of Golden, Colorado, was home to Judy and Dick for over 50 years, where they made lifelong friendships and she touched the lives of many people of all ages. Judy had a long commitment to children and championed the importance of good, early childhood education. After college she worked as a social worker, placing children whose needs could not be met by their birth families. In Mount Vernon there was no preschool available, so she started one in her basement (often on the barter system with a horse or a piano in exchange for a child’s attendance). She taught in the Denver-area Head Start system, and returned to school to earn a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Afterwards, she instructed and mentored future teachers at several Denver-area community colleges.

Throughout her life, Judy was very giving. She led a girl scout troop on the Navajo reservation, was an active volunteer for the American Friends Service Committee in Denver, and often took her own children on trips to paint houses or help families in other ways. She was an active volunteer for the Lookout Mountain Recreation Association, which sponsored ski lessons and races at the local ski hill, and made enameled small copper awards for the kids. After she retired, she volunteered at the Lookout Mountain Preserve and Nature Center as a docent.

When Judy and Dick moved to Manhattan, KS, in 2011, to be closer to family, she sought out the Manhattan chapter of the Smith Club and the American Association of University Women, joined the Unitarian-Universalist church, actively supported the Music Department at Kansas State University, participated in voter registration with League of Women Voters, and very rapidly made new friends at Meadowlark Hills. Once she made a new connection, she nurtured the bond. Even during her final weeks, she enjoyed learning about the lives and aspirations of her in-home caregivers and wanted to make sure her neighbors were well.

Judy was a lifelong learner, participating simultaneously in three book clubs in Mount Vernon (so when the old women passed away she would still have the younger groups), and several book clubs in Manhattan. She took advantage of any opportunity to learn, including Great Decisions and there were always stacks of books throughout her house.

Judy also had her silly side. Family photos from every trip show Judy in a different (and usually distinctive and floppy) hat. On backpack trips she brought an apron, and Clorox to make sure dishes were germ free. She never passed up an opportunity to skinny dip, even off the sailboat when she was past age 80 and moored at their favorite bay on Lake Granby.

Judy formed strong, caring connections with young people. Adults who grew up in Mount Vernon often comment on how she changed the course of their lives. Similarly, many of her caregivers from At Home Care and Meadowlark Hills in Manhattan describe the lasting impact she had on them. She listened thoughtfully, was never judgmental, and was supportive as they made sometimes difficult life decisions.

Judy is survived by her daughter Cynthia Cattell (John Wygant), her son Eric Cattell (Connie Cattell), grandchildren Keith Wygant (married to Keely Dulmage), Alex Rowan Cattell, Elizabeth Kanost (married to Nathan Kanost), and Phillip Cattell; and great-grandchildren, Ursula Dulmage and Laszlo Dulmage. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, and her brothers, Kells and Richard Boland. Memorials may be made to the Meadowlark Foundation to benefit the Good Samaritan Fund, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan Helping Hands Fund. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.