Cathey Ragucci

Cathey Ragucci 1958 -2012 Cathey Ragucci, 53, died at home, surrounded by family, on June 2, 2012. She lived her life on her own terms, as she wanted to, and was never afraid of doing things differently. Cathey was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1975. She attended Bethany College before graduating from Miami University of Ohio with a B.A in Psychology in 1980. After college she took a 20,000 mile solo road trip to see the country and decide where she wanted to live. She settled in Marin County, California. She had intended to go for a PhD in Psychology, but decided against it because "they measure the therapists by the square inch out here!" She worked in software testing for many years, then, interested as always in helping others, she studied at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare and received her Master's degree in May 1993. She worked for several years as a social worker in a foster family agency and then as a therapist and hypnotherapist. When she developed an aggressive type of breast cancer, Cathey opted to treat it with surgery, but no radiation or chemotherapy. She courageously, acting on her belief system, used a variety of alternative therapies and survived five years--as long as those opting for chemotherapy and radiation. She enjoyed singing and art of all kinds, especially jewelry making and working with clay. She loved being out in nature and had a passion for animals and wildlife of all kinds. She is survived by her husband, David Henderson; mother, Ruth Ragucci; brother, Sam Ragucci; sister-in-law Barbara Woods; niece, Amanda Woods; nephew, Alex Ragucci and step-daughter Rebecca Henderson.