Cathey Chustz

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26. On Wednesday, August 27th, 2025, Cathey Cross Chustz, age 68, passed away peacefully after a courageous, two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, at her home in Greenwell Springs. Cathey was a kind, loving, and compassionate soul who loved her family and friends dearly and brought joy to everyone she encountered.

Cathey was born in Canton, MS, in 1956 and grew up in Denham Springs, LA. The second child of Joy and Oley Cross, she grew up with her two beloved sisters, Donna Currier and Brenda Wright. The three sisters were well known for their closeness, including their matching outfits, which their mother would dress them in.

Cathey loved to learn and read. In her childhood, she would read numerous books and would later in life foster a love of books in her children and grandchildren. She was also musically inclined and learned how to play both the clarinet and piano. Her passion for learning helped her excel in her academics. She was a graduate of Denham Springs High School, having served as Miss Denham Springs and as salutatorian of the class of 1974.

After high school, she attended LSU, where she pursued a degree in Business Administration (Marketing). She graduated LSU in 1978 and then began her working career as a real estate specialist for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). There, she would meet her future husband, Steve Chustz, and they were married in 1981.

In 1983, Cathey and Steve had their first child, Stefanie Chustz, who brought a new and exciting chapter in their married life, that of a family.

In 1985, she decided to make a career change and pursue a degree in the medical field. While working and raising a small child, Cathey commuted to New Orleans to attend the LSU Medical School of Allied Health, pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy. She completed her degree in 1987 and was at the top of her graduating class, showing her love for academics and her determination.

Cathey would work as an Occupational Therapist for 28 years in the Livingston Parish School System, where she dedicated her career to children and showed kindness and empathy to the families she worked with.

In 1989, Cathey and Steve welcomed their second child, Taylor Chustz, into their family. They built their home in 1991 in Greenwell Springs, where they raised their two children and became members of St. Alphonsus Church. At St. Alphonsus, Cathey became very involved in her children's lives, attending field trips, baking cakes, and being a Girl Scout troop leader for 10 years.

Cathey loved to travel and always enjoyed planning trips for her family and friends. She traveled extensively across the US with her family, visiting places like Washington, DC, the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and taking annual beach trips with her sisters and their children. Her family logged a lot of driving miles across the US, playing cards, and enjoying the adventures the open road had to offer. This love of travel was also shared with her friends and later with her daughters. In her lifetime, she had memorable adventures to California, Massachusetts, New York City, Chicago, Ghana, Peru, and numerous European countries.

Cathey loved to craft and bake—every family celebration, she would make a different dessert and decorate cakes for her family’s milestones. From birthday cakes to groom cakes, she loved to bring joy through sweets to those she loved. She later became an active cookie maker, creating beautiful cookies she loved to decorate with her family. She also loved to craft, sew dresses and Halloween costumes, make Christmas ornaments with her family, and make bracelets. She also loved to scrapbook and was able to document her love of travel through thousands of pictures she took in her lifetime.

Cathey deeply loved her family and friends, especially her precious grandchildren, Steven (7) and Elizabeth Calverley (5). She constantly said the greatest joy in her life was her family, becoming a wife, mom, and then later a CeCe, and her grandchildren were the stars in her sky. She cared for both of her grandchildren for the first year of their lives and loved to play, read, and sing to them. You could always find her on the floor, building a puzzle or coloring with them.

Cathey had a bright and caring spirit, always able to see the good in others and show them love and care. She loved color, and you could always find her in a bright shirt or planting beautiful flowers in her yard. She truly loved life and was always ready for a game, watching a movie, and sharing a loud laugh.

She had a strong faith and a deep belief in Christ and was a member of Blackwater Methodist Church in her later years. She enjoyed sitting on her patio to admire God’s creations and read her Bible. She truly believed in fostering fellowship with others through love and service, and this was reflected in her relationships with her family and everyone she met. Everyone who met her would say that they genuinely felt seen, accepted, and loved by her, regardless of who they were or where they came from.

In August 2023, Cathay was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although this was a devastating diagnosis, in the last years she lived her life to the fullest and continued to travel, create memories, and bring joy and love to those around her.

Although Cathey has passed, her memory and the love she gave will bloom forever in our hearts and spirits. She was truly a special person who brought light into the world and will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Steve Chustz; two daughters, Stefanie Chustz (husband, Steven Calverley) and Taylor Chustz (partner, Evan Mack); two sisters, Donna Currier and Brenda Wright (husband, René); and two grandchildren, Steven and Elizabeth Calverley. She is preceded in death by her parents, Joy and Oley Cross.

The family would like to thank Dr. Miletello, the staff at Baton Rouge General Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake, MD Anderson, and the members of Pinnacle Hospice for the love and care extended to Cathey during this time.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 3rd, at Greenoaks Memorial Park from 10:00 am till the service at 1:00 pm, followed by a memorial reception. For those attending the service, Cathey requested all guests wear bright colors to celebrate her life.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.