Catherine Sue Eccher

Catherine Sue Eccher (nee Smith) passed away peacefully at home at the age of 66 in West Allis, WI on Thursday, November 2, 2023 with her three loving daughters by her side. She fought a misdiagnosis that gave us hope of life for over a year before the doctors finally diagnosed her with terminal Glioblastoma Multiforme. Even then with weeks to live, she refused to give up. Her courage and determination never diminished. We were absolutely devastated with this news but fortunate enough to have this knowledge and ability to spend every moment with her in her final weeks of life. She enjoyed being with her daughters every day, celebrating her last birthday with her sisters from Arkansas and visiting with all of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends. Those precious moments will be cherished forever.

Cathy was born on October 21, 1957 to the late Arlie Smith and Alice Marie Smith (nee Porter) in Little Rock, AR. She was the second youngest of nine children and is survived by four sisters and one brother, all of whom she loved deeply. She was a beloved Mother to Melinda (Christian) Ericson, Michelle (Matthew) Riley, and Angela (Jon Lowe) Tranberg. She was a wonderful grandmother to seven beautiful grandchildren, Jacob Ericson, Brandon Ericson, Dylan Randall-Riley, Jayden Riley, Isaiah Vincent, Preston Riley, and after six handsome grandsons, her only granddaughter, Ariana Lowe. God further blessed her with two great-grandsons, Kyren Ericson and Espen Ericson giving her the cherished title of "Great-Grandma Cat". She never missed a night praying for her family, and would end her prayers by asking God to bless each child, from the oldest to the youngest.

Her late husband, Phil Eccher, passed away in 2016 leaving her widowed. She left Nevada after his passing and moved to Georgia, Arkansas, and finally Wisconsin seeking the support of all her family and friends throughout that hard time.

Cathy had many interests and hobbies throughout her life. One favorite highlight was working for Pan Am as a flight attendant in the 90's where she was able to travel the world and experience many fascinating destinations. She enjoyed volunteering at CARE with Phil where they rescued cockatoos, parrots and other birds. She treasured her black and yellow Harley Davidson, and rode to many destinations across the country with her countless friends. She dearly loved spending every day with her cats Kiki, Scrappy, Cisco, Panda and Opie. She was a God loving woman that was incredibly intelligent, strong, independent and absolutely stunning.

She was immensely resilient and could fix anything and tackle any problem life brought upon us. She was the foundation of our family, a best friend to all of her daughters, and our source for guidance, advice and support. Every day for the rest of our lives we will miss her silly jokes, stories and long talks. Our hearts will forever feel the immense sorrow and anguish from the loss of our Mama (Momma)

Cathy's final wish was to have a private service and be cremated after she passed. A Celebration of Life will be held this summer.