Catherina Suzanna Danyi

      “Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Catherina Suzanna Danyi, it summarized in every way who she was. She was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around her and always thinking before acting. She was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything she did. She was a friendly person who truly cared about those around her.

       She was the daughter of Steve Danyi and Katalin Lamour. Raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and North Vancouver, B. C., she was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, she learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that she would carry with her throughout her life.

      Growing up, Catherina was one of those children who didn’t need to be in the center of a whirlwind of activity. She was content to entertain herself. Catherina was never pushy when it came to games and other activities, but rather, she was able to enjoy the pure fun these could bring. In just about everything she did as a child, Catherina was intent on pleasing both the adults and the other children around her. Catherina took part in a number of activities as a child. She took part in skating. She was a Girl Guide. She had a large stamp collection. Catherina's memorable achievements included participating in beauty pageants.

      Catherina enjoyed learning. She always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Catherina was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. She often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Catherina was painstaking and accurate in her efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. She graduated from Windsor Secondary School in 1986. Catherina enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was art.

      Catherina had a good disposition for the challenges of college. She always enjoyed reading, so all of those lengthy required reading assignments seemed to be less of a burden for her. In fact, Catherina seemed to absorb and remember everything she read. Not all things came easily to Catherina, however, and she found success by being a diligent and accurate person who would dig into a project and work through until it reached its completion. She was very thorough and labored long and hard in order to reach her goals. Cathy studied Media Resources. Her favorite courses were photography. Catherina enjoyed making film productions.

      Most folks would say that Catherina was shy until they got to know her. Those who were privileged to know her well learned that she was a solid, good friend. Catherina was reluctant to generalize about people, and she based her friendships on her personal experiences. Because of this, Catherina best trusted those people that she truly knew. She was concerned about how those around her felt, and she always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. She could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. The friends that she made, Catherina kept. While growing up, some of her best friends were Kristy and Gina. Later in life, she became friends with Charlene, Karen, Chiyoko, Silvie, Maddie, Allison, Katherine, Ava, Angie and Joanne.

      Love can’t be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Catherina. On October 1, 2000 Catherina married Andreas Smolik at Capilano Golf and Country Club. She was totally committed to Andreas and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Catherina naturally sensed her spouse’s needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Catherina disliked conflict, she did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

      Catherina was a good mother to her children. She had “old fashioned” parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner. Because she trusted emotions, Catherina was reluctant to force issues and used gentle persuasion to resolve situations. In this way she seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and caring to those around her, always thinking before acting. In addition, Catherina was a master planner. No matter how hectic life around her might be, she seemed to know and track everyone’s schedule. Catherina was blessed with two children, Anna and Magnus.

      If you gave Catherina a deadline, she would meet it. At work, Catherina was always on task. Without hesitation, Catherina could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. Supervisor of monitoring. Employed by Shaw Cable. During that time, Catherina excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. She was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Catherina was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Catherina had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. She was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

      Catherina liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Catherina's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Catherina preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were photography, scrapbooking, reading and painting. Catherina was content to sit quietly alone, enjoying her hobbies all by herself and could often be found just reading about her favorite pastimes.

      While thorough and measured in her approach to things, Catherina often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. She was like that with sports. Recreational sports included badminton, snowshoeing and hiking. She also enjoyed the statistical data and the facts behind the sports. In this way, she was something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite teams whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were hockey and figure skating.

      Due to her excellent organizational skills, Catherina was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which she belonged. Catherina could bring established, successful methods to the discussion table, along with a generous helping of common sense. Catherina was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details. Throughout her later years, Catherina was an active member of the school PAC.

      Anyone who traveled or went on vacation with Catherina had smooth sailing. It was often taken for granted that she was the trip planner. She would start early and examine all of the possibilities, selecting the best and most effective options. Favorite vacations included Disneyland, Hawaii, Cultus Lake and Osoyoos.

      Catherina had Ghost, a Shephard/Lab, who was her best friend for 12 years. Ginger a Labradoodle rounded out her present family. Catherina was as loyal to her pets as they were to her.

      Catherina passed away on May 6, 2013 at North Vancouver Hospice. Catherina fought a brave battle against cancer. She is survived by her husband Andreas, two children Anna and Magnus and her mother Katailn. Services were held at Boal Chapel in North Vancouver B. C. On Friday May 17th, 2013.

      It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Catherina was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Catherina was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of woman to whom everyone was drawn. She was thorough and practical. Catherina Danyi was very literal with her words. You always knew where you stood with Catherina. She will be missed.