Catherine Royalty

1915 - 2020

Lubbock- Catherine Royalty passed away Friday afternoon, May 15, 2020 at the age of 105. She was the oldest living graduate of Texas Tech University and the oldest World War II veteran in Lubbock.

Catherine was born to Walter W. Royalty and Lyda May Royalty in 1915. The Royalty family was one of the founding families of The First Methodist Church in Lubbock. Catherine was active in many church activities. She was in the Wesleyan Service Guild, the Women's Society of Christian Service and helped create the Canterbury Class.

Catherine graduated from Lubbock High in 1932. She was in the first class to graduate from the current Lubbock High School. She later earned a Master's Degree from Texas Tech and taught school for over 30 years. She taught English and Journalism. She was loved and remembered by many of her students. On her 100th birthday, some of her former students sent her flowers and went to visit her.

She was honored in the Avalanche Journal many times for her accomplishments, was asked to throw the "First Pitch" at a Lady Raiders softball game, and received an honorary blanket from the DAR for her service during World War II.

Catherine was an avid reader and loved cross word puzzles. She played the piano, accordion, ukulele, sang in many choirs, and was active in Camp Fire.

During World War II she joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the Naval Reserve. She worked in the post office in San Francisco and she also helped to break codes for pilots during the war.

She loved to travel. She visited eleven European countries as well as Australia, Canada, Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas. One of her favorite places to visit was Colorado.

When asked if she had any guidelines for her life, she said, "Others!" That describes her perfectly.

Catherine wanted to thank the staffs of Wilshire Place, Brookdale Grand Court, and Tanglewood Village for their care and kindness. She also wanted to offer a special thanks to Nelda Jett for all her love and assistance.

A memorial service for Catherine will be held June 9, at 2:00 p.m. in the Bowman Chapel of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Tx.