Catherine Lynn Van Duzer (“Cathy”), age 58, of Northbrook, Illinois, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2019, following an extended illness. Cathy is survived by her husband of 34 years, John Van Duzer Jr., by two sons, Chris (Sara) Van Duzer and Greg (Amy) Van Duzer, by her parents, Glen and Audrey Curtis, by a sister Cynthia Barth and a brother Clifford Curtis, and by various nieces and nephews.
Cathy was raised in Des Plaines, Illinois, where she attended Maine West High School, and later in Barrington, Illinois. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, she began her career as a neurosurgical nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In later years, Cathy continued her nursing career on a part-time basis at Columbus Hospital in Chicago, and remained in that field until 1998. It was then that she switched gears completely and became a flight attendant at United Airlines, in part to conquer her fear of flying. While working at United, Cathy was able to satisfy her love of travel and see much of the world, but also to spend lots of time at home with her husband and two sons. Following retirement from United in 2006, Cathy became active in other pursuits, including a volunteer driver for “Road to Recovery” cancer patients and a hospice vigil volunteer. Eventually she returned to her neurosurgery nursing career on a part-time schedule.
Along the way, Cathy excelled in the roles of mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. She loved to entertain, and many of her parties featured enticing food, elaborate themes, and late nights. Cathy was blessed with an engaging personality, and was never too busy to talk to one of her many friends, often regaling them with humorous stories from her flight attendant days. Her charm and enthusiasm brightened up any room. She was a long-time member of the Northbrook Woman’s Club, and was a fixture at neighborhood block parties, where she was known to socialize until well into the morning hours. She loved her family above all else, enjoyed playing cards or board games at family events, and always looked forward to family summer vacations in the North woods of Wisconsin. She was also well-known for her love of cats, and treated them as if they were Royals.
Throughout her illness, Cathy maintained a tenacious fighting spirit. She fought courageously for as long as she could against the terrible breast cancer that eventually took her from us. Cathy will live on in our hearts and memories forever.
A Memorial Service for Cathy will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at 12:00 noon at Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Avenue, Kenilworth, Illinois 60043.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Cathy’s memory may be made to the Cancer Wellness Center, the American Cancer Society, or a charity of your choice.
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