Catherine Anne Schoenbachler

Catherine Anne (Joyce) Schoenbachler of Houston, TX lived a beautiful life marked by love and devotion. She passed away gently and peacefully on August 28, 2024. She was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Delia Joyce; by her brother and sister-in-law Patrick and Margie Joyce; and by her nephew, Brian Joyce. She is survived by her husband, Jerry Schoenbachler of Houston, TX, and by her children Mark Schoenbachler of Plymouth, MN; Joyce (Mario) Terrazas of Austin, TX; Jill (Mark) Burnside of Katy, TX; and Jane (Mark) Newitt of Houston, TX; and by cherished nieces and nephews. She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren Zachary and Courtney (Adam); Cherish, Jessica (Matthew), and Nicholas (Sky); and Michelle and Jennifer. She was blessed to know her three great-grandchildren Brayden, Max, and Claire.

Catherine was born on August 17, 1937 in Oakland, California to Stephen and Delia Joyce. Her older brother was Patrick. Her parents had emigrated to the United States from Ireland and settled in California, a place Catherine dearly loved. She had a happy childhood filled with friends and roller skates, hopscotch and ice cream shops. She enjoyed many neighborhood playmates, and her best friend was Susan Schoenbachler who lived just down the street. She attended grammar school at St. Louis Bertrand Catholic School and graduated in 1955 from Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. Having taken business classes, she immediately began working for the Alameda County Welfare Department. She later worked for both Macy’s and Foley’s department stores in roles ranging from sales and gift wrapping to finance and management. If you ask her children, they would tell you their mom pretty much ran the stores!

As a teenager, Catherine caught the eye of Susan’s older brother, Jerry Schoenbachler. They attended her high school prom together, and they married on June 14, 1958 in Carmel, California. They soon had four children – Mark, Joyce, Jill, and Jane. Catherine was a working mom for a time, but her greater joy was raising her children and nurturing her family. They moved to Houston, TX in 1970 and made a happy life for all, working hard and seeing their children flourish through college, careers, and their own fulfilling lives. Summers always included a trip back to her beloved California to visit the Schoenbachler, Joyce, Sanford, Robinson, and Piombo families. Celebrating family milestones like birthdays and graduations were a joy to Catherine, and the family marked most of these events with dinner at the old Mason Jar Restaurant in Houston. This is also where her children hosted a surprise 50th wedding anniversary for Catherine and Jerry in 2008, so fun! Catherine and Jerry were happily married for more than sixty-six years.

As much as she loved her four children, Catherine discovered new joys in loving her grandchildren. Each one was her favorite, it’s really true! She fed and bathed them, nursed them through illnesses, attended school and sporting activities, shopped and cooked for them, and did so much more. As one granddaughter recently said, “She was the first to believe in me.” Each grandchild knew this to be true of their Grandma. Her three great-grandchildren will have photos and videos of her doting over them as they played around her - a priceless gift.

Catherine always loved travel, and she and Jerry visited many states in the US including Hawaii and Alaska, and many cities like Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. New York City at Christmas time became a favorite family tradition, with all the sights and flavors of the season. She also traveled internationally to fascinating places like England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Hong Kong. But Ireland was her favorite, the country where her parents were born. It was here that she discovered “the Old Country”, digging up her roots and connecting with many family members, young and old. She loved walking the green spaces, dining at the local pubs, kissing the Blarney Stone, and sharing the beauty with family.

Catherine embraced her Catholic Christian faith sincerely, taking great joy in living out her beliefs and practicing her Catholic tenets, sacraments, and traditions. Toward the end of her life, she could still verbally affirm her belief in God and in her Savior, Jesus Christ. She declined in health these past eight years with Alzheimer’s dementia and passed away peacefully at home. And now she is truly home, in the presence of God…and just maybe she is having a cuppa (with milk, not cream) with those she has missed for so long.

Catherine will be honored and remembered on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at Katy Funeral Home, located at 23350 Kingsland Blvd in Katy, TX, with family visitation from 5-7 pm followed by a vigil service from 7-8 pm. On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, she will be honored with a funeral mass at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, located at 7810 Cypresswood Dr. in Spring, TX, at 11 am, followed by burial at the Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, her family would invite you to make a donation to the Cure Alzheimer’s fund (curealz.org).