Mary Catherine Pope

2001 - 2025

Mary Catherine Pope

October 10, 2001 - February 1, 2025

Charlotte, North Carolina - Mary Catherine, also known by her friends and family as "MC" and "Loah", passed away on Saturday February 1, 2025. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 10, 2001, MC was the daughter of Alan and Mary Beth Pope.

As a child, MC was a bundle of energy, with curly blond hair and striking blue eyes inherited from her mother and shared with her sister. Active and outgoing, MC managed more than one trip to the emergency room, often after trying to imitate her older brother whom she idolized. This energy found a home in a multitude of active and creative outlets including soccer, lacrosse, cross country, track, hiking, backpacking and rock climbing. MC recently embraced rollerblading with friends, earning yet another trip to the emergency room with plates and screws in her arm as a souvenir. MC's active life was never about competition at the expense of anyone else, rather exercise and the outdoors filled her soul.

As a "lifer" at Charlotte Latin School, MC made a legion of friends who remember her as wicked smart, but selfless to a fault, always finding a way to be kind and compassionate to those around her. Young runners on her cross country team learned from her that the joy of running and the value of friends were much more important than competition. MC's drive off the track was unmistakable, and her natural intellect lead her to Vanderbilt University on an academic scholarship, where she graduated with degrees in Biology and Education Studies, with honors.

Reciting accolades would embarrass MC, no matter how deserved. Achievements, whether athletic or academic, were unimportant to MC, and what truly mattered was finding and creating beauty in the world. MC had an uncanny, almost magical ability to find four leaf clovers at a glance, and creatively expressing love through watercolors and sketches inspired MC and resulted in beautiful portraits of transgendered friends.

More importantly, MC had a warmth and kindness she used to uplift others, particularly those who were in need of love and compassion. MC kept a ready stash of gallon bags, each with a water bottle and a Nutri-grain bar, to hand out to any homeless person she encountered. MC also tutored homeless and runaway children in Nashville, many of whom were ostracized by their own families. MC's kindness was further reflected in her devotion to her many friends made throughout her 23 years, from MPPC preschool to Charlotte Latin to Vanderbilt to HopeWay and beyond, but most notably in her special bond with her sister.

Her art and her actions reflected the world as she wanted to see it - loving, compassionate and beautiful. MC will be remembered in warm rays of sunshine on a cold day, flowers growing in a crack in a sidewalk, and sunsets in the mountains. MC's hope for this world was that all of us find the same beauty in others and the world that she saw.

Surviving MC are her parents, Alan Weldon Pope and Mary Elizabeth Pope of Charlotte, her brother, Richard Alan Pope II of Boston, and her sister, Anna Elizabeth Pope of Charlotte.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mary Catherine's name may be made to HopeWay at www.hopeway.org/donate or via mail at 1717 Sharon Road West, Charlotte, NC 28210. HopeWay is a nonprofit mental health treatment organization that provides comprehensive mental health services for children, teens and adults.

Celebration of Life Services for Mary Catherine Pope, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at Myers Park Presbyterian Church with the services to be live-streamed at myersparkpres.org/live/.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.