Catherine Schiess Hansen passed away quietly in her sleep on Sunday night July 9, 2023.

Cathie was born in Providence, Utah on March 5, 1933, the eldest child of John Gottlieb Schiess and Varua Kennard. She grew up in a happy home, with loving parents, three brothers, and two sisters. She maintained loving relationships with all of them throughout her life, as well as many, many extended family members. She had many responsibilities at home and on the farm. She relates in her life history that she learned how to cook and sew, did a lot of babysitting, picked beans, thinned and topped sugar beets, picked up rocks on the farm, drove tractor, tromped hay, and milked cows.

She spent the first eight years of her life in Providence until the family moved to a farm in Nibley, Utah when Cathie was in the fourth grade. She graduated from South Cache High School in 1951. Her family then spent two years in Amalga, Utah before moving back to the farm in Nibley. During that two-year period she worked at Cache Valley Dairy, started college, and met her eternal companion, Jerry. They were married in the Logan, Utah LDS temple on June 26, 1953. They enjoyed 53 very happy years of marriage until Jerry's death in 2006. Cathie was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her mortal life.

Shortly after their marriage, Cathie went with her husband to Fort Knox, Kentucky and then Munich, Germany so Jerry could serve in the U.S. Army for two years. They returned to Logan, Utah in 1955 with their new-born son. Over the next two-and-a-half years, they welcomed two more sons into their home. A fourth son was adopted in 1970. Jerry's schooling and career as a college professor took Cathie and her family from Logan to Columbia, Missouri; Cedar City, Utah; Wayne, Nebraska; Denison, Iowa; and then for the final seventeen years of his career to Flagstaff, Arizona. After retirement, Cathie and Jerry moved to Rexburg, Idaho. Cathie's main goal, according to her life history, was to be a great wife and mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. This she accomplished admirably. She also made friends easily. People were drawn to her because she cared deeply about them.

Cathie's favorite part of school was undoubtedly singing in a select choir called the Con Motto Chorus for three years. During this period she also sang beautiful duets with her mother on various occasions. She loved to listen to music, especially opera. She played the piano, often accompanying her son, John, in many of his recitals and auditions. She loved to draw. She was a fine seamstress. She baked cookies and cakes often, much to the delight of her sons and their friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a baby sister, her son Jefferson, four other babies, and a granddaughter, Hannah Renée Hansen.

Cathie is survived by her sons: Gerald Edwin Jr. (Sharlene) of Rexburg; John Charles (Joann) of Riverside, California; James Omar (Lori) of Rexburg; a daughter-in-law, Teri Larson (Jefferson Eric Hansen); 20 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings Ken Schiess (Sonja - deceased), Don and Faye Schiess, Boyd and Sheri Schiess, Jean and Darwin McPhie, Jan and Peter Mulder, and Toni Pray.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 12:00 in the Rexburg 4th Ward LDS Chapel, (166 So. 1st East, Rexburg ID 83443). A viewing will take place at 10:45 AM immediately preceding the funeral.

Interment will be in the Rexburg Cemetery.

Service will be live streamed at: https://my.gather.app/remember/catherine-hansen-2023