Catherine Anne Gonzalez

Cathy, a compassionate and giving person, started her adult life in X-ray and Nuclear Medicine Imaging in 1974 at Richmond Memorial and Hillcrest Hospitals. After her clinical engagement, she rose to regional and national account manager positions in the medical imaging and therapeutic treatment arena. Her attention to detail produced many top performer awards from such companies as Medi-Physics, Amersham Healthcare, Picker International and Philips Medical. One of her proudest achievements, while at Amersham Healthcare, was her instrumental role in the growth and acceptance of the Iodine-125 seed implant process for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Early in adulthood, Cathy's personal time was dedicated to car racing and motorcycles. She loved to go fast! She frequently exercised her first sports car, a 1979 Mazda RX-7, and was a course finisher in the 1986 “One Lap of America” race. She was especially proud of her custom Fatboy and Heritage, Harley Davidson motorcycles, of which she rode solo at every opportunity. No small feat when one considers she was only 5 feet 2 and 110 pounds! She unabashedly led the Harley Haven's, Ladies of Harley group for several years and was included as a featured rider in Sasha Mullins' “Bikerlady – Living & Riding Free!”, a 2003 book celebrating women's passion for motorcycles.

However, Cathy's biggest love was her daughter Olivia, who she bragged upon incessantly. She never missed an opportunity to show pictures and detail Olivia's latest adventure. In her last years at home, Cathy was showered with the love and companionship of her two favorite canines; first, Harley and later, Ivy. Both blue-eyed pups, they helped navigate her through the loss of most of her eye sight. Never one to give up, Cathy continued to work at a nearby Publix. The ability to work and maintain her independence, with the continuing support of a circle of family and friends, sustained her throughout her last days.

She is survived by her daughter, Olivia J. Grabowski; a brother, Henry J. Gonzalez; her godfather, Percy Pickral and numerous cousins and friends.

A memorial service will be held at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel, on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. The family would like to gather your favorite memory(s) of Cathy. Please post a memory on the website www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.net or bring note card to the reception. At a later date, Cathy will be inurned next to her mother in Richmond, Virginia, at the Greenwood Memorial Gardens, East Magnolia Section.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to either A Second Chance Animal Shelter (asecondchanceanimalshelter.com) or The American Federation of the Blind (AFB.org).

“When life has you down – look UP.”