CATHERINE RICHIE

CATHERINE CAMPBELL RICHIE  
Catherine Campbell Richie, 86, lived with radiance, vivacity, and laughter. She died at her Collington retirement community home in Mitchellville, MD, on June 11, 2020, a day after singing songs from Camelot and enjoying her beloved piano. Born in Philadelphia, she graduated from Lower Merion High School, and Goucher College with an English degree. She met Dave Richie, a dashing Marine pilot who famously "buzzed" the Goucher campus- the start of a passionate love story. In 1955, Cate married Dave, and soon moved to Arlington, VA, before heading west with their three children to Mt. Rainier National Park. She adapted to living 30 miles from a grocery store, with ten-foot snow drifts and neighboring bears. Life in the National Park Service entailed frequent moves, including to Coulee Dam, WA, Concord, MA, and Reston, VA, and a growing list of friends nurtured by Cate's delectable cooking and life-changing conversations. Cate loved to write and read and had a gift for counseling, earning a master's degree from Hood College and working as an editor of Heldref magazines. After a decade in Harpers Ferry when Dave was the Appalachian Trail project manager and Cate chaired the local library board, they retired to Hampstead, NC, for a life of romantic beach walks, golf, volunteer service, and adventures in Europe, the Yucatan, and the West. After Dave's death from colon cancer in 2002, Cate carried on as book club leader, symphony-goer, and board member of a conservation group, PenderWatch. She moved to be closer to family in 2012.Cate is survived by her three children, David Richie of Tucson, AZ, Marina Richie of Bend, OR, and Rob Richie of Takoma Park, MD, and her six grandchildren: Savanna, Lucas, Ian, Becca, Sam, and August. The family will hold a private Episcoplian and Quaker service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Cate's memory are encouraged for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, FairVote and RepresentWomen.