Catherine W. Rankel

Catherine "Cathy" W. Rankel, née Cleeton, of Brighton, Michigan, passed away on March 13, 2026, at the age of 88.

Cathy was born on June 22, 1937, in Syracuse, New York, to Marion "Mac" Alfred Cleeton and Elizabeth Gillies Cleeton. She grew up in Syracuse alongside her five brothers and two sisters.

Cathy was a strong and determined woman. In her twenties, as a divorced mother of two young daughters living in Detroit, she faced many challenges, but overcame them in stride. She found work as a waitress, where she met her future husband, Joseph "Joe" Rankel, and they later married on July 11, 1964. With Joe's encouragement, she learned to drive, earned her driver's license, and went back to night school to get her high school diploma in 1978. She was proud of what she accomplished and believed strongly in the potential of others.

Cathy and Joe shared many happy years until his passing in 2010. Together they made their home in Brighton, where they took great pride in the life they built. Cathy loved to share how handy Joe was and all the improvements he made to their home. In turn, she kept the house immaculate and closely looked after every detail, inside and out. She enjoyed hosting family at their house for family gatherings and holidays, where she showcased her amazing cooking and baking. Her family will especially remember her chocolate cream pies, Christmas wreath cookies, and molasses sugar cookies.

Through the 1980s and into the early 1990s, Cathy worked at Citizens Insurance in Howell for more than 13 years. She took great pride in her work and was recognized as a star employee. Even more importantly, she cared deeply about the friendships she made there, many of which lasted long past her retirement.

In her later years, Cathy continued to care for her home and rarely asked for help. If you came to visit, she was likely working on a puzzle of some kind: a jigsaw puzzle, crossword, solitaire, or sudoku. She showed her love for animals and nature by faithfully feeding the wild birds every day and tending to her plants. She enjoyed her monthly trips to the casino through the Brighton Senior Center. She also volunteered at the local Humane Society, where she especially enjoyed helping with the cats.

Cathy was genuine, kind-hearted, and believed the best in others. She could strike up a conversation with anyone and she made friends everywhere she went. Above all, she loved her family. She cherished sharing stories of growing up with her siblings, hosting holidays and family gatherings in her home, and spending time with the people she loved most. She was proud of all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She will be dearly missed.

Cathy was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Rankel; her parents, Mac and Elizabeth Cleeton; her step-son, John Rankel; and her siblings, John "Jack" Cleeton, Mary Lewis, James "Jimmy" Cleeton, Walter Cleeton, Marion "Al" Cleeton, and Charles Cleeton.

She is survived by her sister, E. Jean Castro; daughters, Elizabeth (Joseph Roche) Tubbert and Lisa Tubbert; her step-son, David (Dianne) Rankel; her grandchildren, Stephen Tubbert, Alexandra (Jacob Wiles) Roche, Erica (Kevin) Denton, Gregory (Sandra) Rankel, Robert Rankel, and Kimberly (John) Hawley; her great-grandchildren, Lilith Jordan, Marley Tubbert, Kyler Denton, Colette Denton, Sarah Locke, Owen Rankel, Tessa Rankel, and Nicholas (Jacklyn) Rankel; her daughter-in-law, Pamela Rankel; her granddaughter-in-law, Angela Jordan; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Private memorial services for immediate family will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Cathy's memory to a local Humane Society or animal shelter.