Catherine Alfonso Jones courageously fought the good fight, kept her faith, and finished the race on July 21st, 2022. Catherine was born in El Paso, TX, on June 27, 1958, to Jacqueline Hall Sullivan (Alfonso). and Nicolino Alfonso, Sr.
She attended high school at Mt. Carmel Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was there she met lifelong friends, joined the drill team, received the loving nickname of “Alfie”, toured Europe and participated in numerous Italian American and Mardi Gras parades. The decorated high heel caught from the Muses parade was one of her most prized possessions. In 1980, Catherine was elected to the Republican Executive Committee. The 1980 letter from the Louisiana Secretary State addressed her as the Honorable Cathy Alfonso, after having been elected by running a door-to-door campaign at the age of 22.
Catherine met the love of her life, Brent, at a company July 4th picknick when they both worked for Shell. It was not long before they fell in love and married at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans’ French Quarter June 19, 1982.
As a passionate scholar, Catherine focused on psychology at California State University Bakersfield graduating in 1989. She volunteered at St Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, with Alzheimer groups, and staffing the crisis Hot Line, all the while dedicating time to raising her family. She moved to Houston in 1990, where she applied to the University of Houston and was accepted into the Masters Program. She declined so that she could dedicate time to her young family. She later returned to academia at Rice University and completed training as a paralegal.
Catherine loved to travel and was blessed to spend time in Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Russia, Germany, Spain, China, Netherlands, and other destinations. She was never afraid to try something new and she considers her 500-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain as one of her greatest accomplishments outside of her family. She never met a stranger and loved riding her bicycle, Dragon Boat racing, playing bunco and Mahjongg, and celebrating Mardi Gras in both Louisiana and Houston.
Additional passions included literature and music. She loved David Bowie, The Beatles, Aaron Neville and especially appreciated the works of the poet David Whyte, who led several of her excursions to other countries. Irish folk music was a passion for Catherine, particularly the work of Owen and Mícheál 'Moley' Ó Súilleabháin, who performed a house concert for us in 2018. She also loved Scottish history, and her friends and family all know how much she adored watching Outlander. Catherine has the deed to a small piece of Scotland granting her the name Lady-Catherine.
Catherine was always a devout Catholic who honored the Holy Spirit and was active in her Epiphany Parish. She was a lector, played piano at Sunday Mass, and was in the play Oklahoma as Ms. Eller. She is remembered as a wonderful and loving mother who enriched her children’s and husband’s lives with numerous activities including church, theater, Scouts, gymnastics, volleyball, band, wrestling and football. She gave everyone tireless support in everything they did. In her final years she repeated the Divine Mercy phrase, “Jesus I trust in You”. Her devoted husband will always remember her as the naïve and child-like person he met 42 years ago.
Catherine is predeceased by her parents, Nicolino and Jacqueline Alfonso, and brother Joe. She is survived by her loving family: her husband of 40 years, Brent; her three children, Benjamin (Molly McAshan), Jacqueline (Ross) Dornak, and Barbara; her older brother Nick Alfonso II; nephew Nick Alfonso III and her four grandchildren, Harvey, James, Juniper, and Randall.
On Friday, August 19th, a celebration of her life will be held at Katy Funeral Home. We will say the rosary together at 5pm. From 6-8pm, we will be sharing pictures, videos and stories about how she touched our lives. This is the perfect time to come and share your favorite memories. On Saturday, August 20th, the funeral mass will be held at 11am at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church in Katy, TX. Please join family and friends during this time to honor Catherine’s life and to celebrate in her memory. You know if she was here, she would want us to buy a bouquet of beautiful flowers, pick up a bottle of Green Spot, grab that tiara, crank up the music, and celebrate the amazing life she had.
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