Catherine was born on August 18th, 1937, in Oxnard, CA to Thomas and Charlotte Shawhan of Los Angeles. She was the youngest of two siblings. Catherine graduated from Fullerton Junior College in 1958 and married her beloved husband, Jack Swift, in June 1960. Jack and Catherine were married for 56 years before he passed away in January 2016. Jack and Catherine had two sons, Daniel, 56, of West Linn and Michael, 49, of Grants Pass. Catherine was able to trace a direct lineage back to the niece of Meriwether Lewis and was able to trace other family lineage back to John Alden of the Mayflower.
Catherine worked as a professional secretary for over forty years, retiring from the Chula Vista City School District in 2000. She and Jack moved to Grants Pass in 2001 where she became very active in local organizations. She was a board member of the Southern Oregon Resource Alliance as well as one of the longest serving members of the Josephine County Republican Women. She was an avid animal lover who enjoyed multiple dogs, cats, and semi-domesticated deer. Catherine was preceded in death by her brother, John Shawhan, of Ellicott City, MD as well as her much-loved husband, Jack. Catherine is survived by her two sons as well as her three grandchildren, Kim, Jessica, and Alden.
A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, March 18th at 9:00 AM at St. Anne Catholic Church in Grants Pass. Interment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
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