Catherine Brekke

CATHERINE ANN BREKKE Catherine Ann Thompson was born in Duluth, MN on November 8, 1954 to Chuck and Lois Thompson. Cathy was the middle child, between two brothers, and fondly known as "Sis" to close family and friends. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas from kindergarten to 8th grade. She graduated from Falls High School with the class of 1973. On December 27, 1975 she married Robert Allen Brekke. Bob and Cathy spent their honeymoon traveling in a van, visiting many family and friends around the country. They settled in Alaska, beginning their life of adventure. They moved back to the Falls when their daughter Bobbi was born. A short nineteen months later, they welcomed their daughter Stephanie. Bob built a home on Rainy Lake. Bob and Cathy returned to college and completed their teaching degrees from the University of Minnesota at Duluth in 1983. They packed up their belongings and moved south to sunny Yuma, Arizona. Cathy taught kindergarten, first grade, and second grade for 30 years at Rolle, O.C. Johnson, and Mary A. Otondo elementary schools. Her favorite was kindergarten. She loved children and her years as an educator were very meaningful to her. Bob and Cathy both earned their Master's of Education in ESL at Northern Arizona University. Cathy spent her childhood summers in the woods with her family, as her dad was a logger. In 1991 Cathy and Bob bought a lot on Jackfish Island on Rainy Lake. There were not many women that would agree to live on an island, in a tent, while their husband built their dream cabin, but Cathy was an equal partner. She stained the siding while he hung it. She hauled water up the hill until the pump was put in. That partnership laid the foundation for family memories at the cabin. The moment school was out in Arizona, the family was in the car, driving north, ready for lake life. Bob and Cathy shared over 30 years of cabin life with their children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces & nephews, and friends. Cathy loved her family. Her mother Lois was her best friend; they talked every morning on the phone over coffee. She adored reading with her grandchildren. She was a paper girl in the Carson Lupie neighborhood. She and her brothers hiked Telegraph Pass on Sundays, always enjoying a beer and pistachios at the top. She was an active swimmer and never missed an opportunity to jump in Rainy Lake. She loved the thrill of catching walleye. She was an amazing baker: her blueberry pies and lefse were legendary. At the age of twelve she was the Koochiching county "Style Queen" 4H winner and competed in the Minnesota State Fair, earning the blue ribbon for her seamstress skills. In her dad's later years, she had a standing Sunday walking date with her brother Terry and him. They always enjoyed a Bloody Mary afterwards. Her best friends growing up were her cousins; she loved riding her bike out to Ma & Pa Holler's house to play. She loved picking wild flowers. Her laugh was infectious and her smile big & bright. She loved her grandchildren with all her heart. Cathy died peacefully with family by her side in International Falls on November 21, 2025. She is preceded in death by her parents Chuck and Lois Thompson; her older brother Charlie Thompson; her father-in-law and mother-in-law Norman and Lois Brekke; her brother-in-law Jerome Brekke; her sisters-in-law Lois Brekke, Wanda Pelland, Marjorie Brekke, Debbie Gushulak, and Terri Johnson; and her cousin Georgia Ann Biondich Perrine. Cathy is survived by her loving husband Bob; her daughters Stephanie and Bobbi Ann, with her husband Dave Nevarez; her grandchildren Kate Brekke, Joseph Abbott, Jakob Abbott, and Grace Abbott; her younger brother Terry Thompson and his wife Martina, her sister-in-law Linda Braaten and her husband John, and her brothers-in-law Ronnie Pelland, Melvin Gushulak, and John Johnson; her many nieces and nephews; and her lifelong friends, Sharon Platisha and Dianne Johnson-Smalley; and her cousin, Nancy Harala. Skol, Mom! Give our love to Nanny, Bumpa, and Charlie. You have the most amazing welcoming crew. The family will hold a celebration of Cathy's life in the summer of 2026. Cathy will be laid to rest with her husband at the Zion Cemetery in Karlstad, MN. Condolences may be left on www.greenlarsen.com Arrangements are with Green-Larsen Mortuary, Inc.