Cathy M. Carter

The Plains– Cathy M Carter, 78, passed away peacefully Jan.1, 2026 at

Hickory Creek Nursing Center.

Cathy was born July 22, 1947, daughter of the late John and Mildred

(Casey) MacKay in Providence, Rhode Island. She was a 1966 graduate

of East Providence High School. After High School she attended Johnson

and Wales College in Providence.

Cathy spent much of her adult life in Athens, Ohio. She moved back to

Rhode Island in 1978. However, she and her two children returned to the

area in 1986. Cathy was a property manager for several apartment

complexes in Athens County. She loved working with the public and being

a community organizer. In 2011 she retired from housing management and

became a Foster Grandparent through Corporation for Ohio Appalachian

Development (COAD). This is where she became “Grandma Cathy” She

worked with the 4th grade classes at The Plains Elementary School and

Kids on Campus from 2011-2020. Working with the children brought her

unimaginable joy and kept her young. You could not go anywhere with her

without hearing “Hey, Grandma Cathy!”

Cathy was a devoted grandmother to her own grandchildren as well. She

spent many hours at sporting events and theater productions. She loved

being with family and friends.

She was a true Boston Red Sox fan and she let everyone know it.

Cathy is survived by her two children, Stacey (Anthony) Carter-Kimball of

The Plains, OH and John (Meia) Carter of Florida; three grandchildren,

Olivia (Garrett) Daugherty, Jonathan Kimball, and Hattie Carter; a

great-granddaughter Alice Daugherty; a brother David (Joanne) MacKay

and a sister Laurie (Peter) Lombardi; two sisters-in-law Cathy (Steve)

Thomas and Connie Locke; many nieces and nephewsBesides her parents Cathy was preceded in death by two sisters Kyle

Antonevich and Bonnie-Jean Gallinelli.

Cathy selflessly donated her body to the College of Osteopathic Medicine

at Ohio University. A celebration of Cathy’s life will be held this

Spring and arrangements will be announced at a later date by the Hughes Funeral Home.  Friends are encouraged to sign the online guestbook at ehwfh.com.  

A Special thank you to the staff of Hickory Creek and OhioHealth Hospice for the care they provided.