Cathy McDonald

Cathleen "Cathy" McDonald passed at her home, after a brief illness, in Elkins, West Virginia on the morning of December 10, 2024 with her daughter by her side. Cathy was at peace. A few days before passing she said that she had had a long and wonderful life. She felt truly blessed.
Born at home on January 27, 1933 in Mt. Zion, Calhoun County, West Virginia, to Mary Martilla (Orr) McDonald and Bernard McDonald, Cathy grew up on the family farm in Mt. Zion with her older brother and younger sister. Her lifelong connection with nature began as a young girl there. Her parents were teachers. She attended school in Grantsville, West Virginia. In her sophomore year she moved with her mother and sister to Morgantown, W.Va., graduating from Morgantown High in 1950.
Cathy attended West Virginia University, majoring in music. Her mother boarded college students in their house on Willey Street, and this is where Cathy met her future husband, Richard E. Bunner. Cathy and Richard married in 1951, and moved to Augusta, Georgia where Richard was stationed during the Korean Conflict. Their first three children were born in Georgia, the last two in Ohio.
They raised their family of five children in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, and later in the rolling countryside outside of Lancaster, Ohio, where a large 100-year-old school converted to a house became their beloved family home.
Cathy and Richard divorced in the mid-1970s after raising their children. She lived for a time in Melbourne, Fla., Durham, N.C., and Chloe, W.Va., before moving to Elkins in the late 1970s. Training at a school for Montessori teachers in Ithaca, N.Y., Cathy worked as a teaching assistant at Montessori schools in Lancaster and Elkins. Also trained in polarity, reflexology, and massage, she helped many people through the study and practice of the healing arts.
Through example, Cathy passed her love, respect, and awe for the natural world on to her children and grandchildren. A seeker of knowledge, she read a lot, always learning more. She remained amazed by the natural world well into her 90s, up into her last days. Cathy loved to laugh and had a healthy appreciation for the absurd. This, too, was passed down to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
In the mid 1980s, Cathy moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. She loved college towns, and was active in peace, justice, and environmental movements, joining in demonstrations and writing letters to local papers and politicians. From Charlottesville she moved to Athens, Ohio, to be closer to her parents, living there over 20 years until moving back to Elkins in 2018 to be near her daughters' families.
Cathy loved to gather with friends, and belonged to many groups in the cities she lived. She wrote poetry and met with a poetry group at the public library in Athens for many years. She was also a long-time member of the "Lunch Bunch" -- a group of university-affiliated women who met, for decades, in the home of Dru Evarts, close to Ohio University's campus. Before her retirement, Cathy worked for NAMI in Athens. An accomplished pianist, she attended, and played piano at, the Unitarian Church there for some time.
Cathy loved her family. She is survived by her children Mark Bunner (Pennsylvania), Thomas Bunner (Fukuoka, Japan), Susan McMillon (Elkins, W.Va.), and Richard Bunner (Honolulu, Hawaii); grandchildren Robin Quinlivan (Thomas, W.Va.), Ciara Nucilli (Charlotte, N.C.), and Kyle Bunner and Kiri Bunner (both of Japan); great-grandchildren Ella, Cambria, and Kayzli; sister Julia Jarvis (Mt. Zion, W.Va.); and many nieces and nephews. They will miss her.
In addition to her parents, Cathy was pre-deceased by her grandparents Clay and Nancy (Hodges) McDonald, her brother Daniel McDonald, her daughter Laura Romine, and her grandchildren Ann Bunner and Tyler Romine.
In honoring Cathy's wishes, she will be buried with her family in the Mt. Zion Cemetery outside of Grantsville, W.Va. There will be a private gathering of family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Cathy's name to the Friends of Blackwater (PO Box 247, Thomas, WV 26292), or to any environmental group of one's choice.
The Tomblyn Funeral Home, Elkins, WV is in charge of the arrangements for Cathleen "Cathy" McDonald. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.tomblynfuneralhome.com.