Catherene was the best mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunt, and friend for which anyone could ask. The work of her hands, especially hand quilting and cooking, blessed many, many people during her 89 years of life.
Catherene was named Dorothy Catherene Rember when she was born on White Rock Mountain in Pushmataha County, near Moyers, on October 16, 1933. Her parents were Bernie W. and Olie Richardson Rember. Catherene was to be the eldest of 7 children, including Jackie, Kenneth, Frank, Bernie, Eugene, Charlie, and Shirley (husband Walter Adams). Frank lives in Antlers, and Shirley lives in Green River, Wyoming. The rest of her siblings predeceased her, as did her parents.
Catherene began cooking on a wood stove when she was 5 years old, and got up each day to make the biscuits. It wasn't long before she was quilting, too. She plowed the fields with a horse, helped saw cross ties for the railroad with a crosscut saw, and made good grades in school. She graduated high school when it wasn't a common thing.
Catherene spent part of her formative years in Johns Valley, and moved to Moyers for high school. She went to Kansas City for a promised job, but found it lacking and returned to Antlers. She worked as a caregiver for a while, and also in a store. One day Orval Lewis, newly returned from the Korean Conflict, came into the store, and Catherene suddenly found that all her pencils were dull. It so happened that the pencil sharpener was near Orval, and thus the romance began. They married October 2, 1954.
Orval and Catherene moved to a farmstead near Jumbo, and built a home on land nearby. There they raised many cattle and two sons, Orval Wayne and Benny Dale Lewis. Wayne made a career in the army, and Benny became a machinist.
After the boys left home, Catherene became a professional hand quilter. Her work, which lives on in hundreds of quilts, is amazing. She liked to sew quilt tops, too, but hand quilting was her favorite part. She loved purple. It was amazing how quickly she could finish even a king-size quilt. She won many quilt shows with her creations.
Catherene especially enjoyed her activities for the Antlers Quilters Guild, and TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). She walked hundreds of miles in pursuit of health and well-being. Her neighbor and sister-in-law, Martha Lewis, accompanied her to TOPS meetings all over the state. They both won many awards.
In 2016, Catherene and Orval moved to McKinney, Texas, to be near Benny and Julia. They had been married over 64 years when he passed away in 2019.
Catherene (called "Kitty" by many of her favorite people (her nieces and nephews)) leaves behind her siblings Frank (and wife Alice) and Shirley (and husband Walter), sons Wayne (and wife Susan) and Benny (and wife Julia), grandson Martin Lewis (and wife Jennifer), great grandsons Hunter and Joshua (and his wife Victoria), and great great granddaughter Roselynn Lewis, and many nieces, nephews, and their children. Her grandson Martin Lewis Jr. predeceased her.
Catherene exemplified a life well-lived. She is loved by many who have gone to Heaven before her, and many that are still on Earth. She was a woman of deep faith, and especially enjoyed going on trips with "Gray-Haired Angels Traveling", accompanied by her friends from the McGee Valley Baptist Church. The trip she has taken this week is to a place that we can't go right now, but we'll be reunited with her in due time. We are very grateful that we got to know Catherene. She made our lives better.
The memorial service for Catherene will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at Serenity Funeral Home in Antlers. Interment will be at Jumbo Cemetery.