Cathryn Olds Stemen Obituary (1935

Cathryn ("Cathy") Olds Stemen of Poulsbo, WA, passed away on April 17, 2024, at the age of 89. Cathy was born on April 7, 1935, to Marjorie Kroeger and Floyd Olds in Lincoln, NE. Her mother was a teacher and librarian and her father was the sports editor of the Omaha World Herald. She graduated from high school in Omaha and from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. There she met Marvin Bridges, her first husband, with whom she had two daughters, Amy and Ann. Cathy must have inherited her father's love of the written word, because she too was a writer from the very beginning. While in college she wrote a weekly column about campus life published in the Omaha World Herald. After graduation she moved to Palo Alto, CA, where she taught Junior High School English. After some years devoted to the raising of her daughters in Lake Forest, IL, along with numerous volunteer positions, she was a journalist for the "Lake Forester" newspaper. She later joined the staff of Lake Forest College as the News and Media Relations manager. Cathy's life started over when, after her marriage to Marvin ended, she met Jim Stemen at a 'singles dance.' They married on September 11, 1982. Jim was truly the love of her life, and she was, as he always said, his "shining star." Together they were a nation of two, and had more than four decades of fun and adventures, traveling all over the world, and living in Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, and for the past 30 wonderful years, in Hansville and Poulsbo, Washington. They enjoyed home remodeling, collecting and restoring antiques, gardening, traveling, boating, and dancing. (Cathy was for a time one of Hansville's famous Boot-Scootin' Grannies.) They enjoyed entertaining and hosting family gatherings. Cathy was a charming, intelligent, and inquisitive woman. She was the life of any party and the center of any conversation. She was a past president of the Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club and cherished her book club, comprised of a close group of dear friends. She will be sorely missed by her six grandchildren: Jacob and Jameson Bruce; Kirstin and Kyle Leyh; Harmony and Quinn Lawrence; and one great-granddaughter, Ouna Parker-Lawrence. Cathy is survived by her beloved Jim, by her daughters Amy (David) Lawrence; Ann (Dave) Bruce; and by her step-children, Robin Stemen (married to David Alvarez) and Tom Stemen. The family's Celebration of Life will be private. Gifts in Cathy's memory can be designated for the "Memorial Garden Fund" for Remembrance Place at Buck Lake Native Plant Garden with the check made out to: Flotsam & Jetsam Garden Club of Hansville, P.O. Box 14, Hansville WA 98340 or by noting her name at: https://www.kitsapgreatgive.org/organization/flotsam-jetsamgarden-club