Catharine Cramer "Cotsy" Engle

Catharine "Cotsy" Cramer Engle 95, sculptress and widow of the late Oro Valley founder and mayor, Earl S. "Steve" Engle, died Sunday, February 1, 2009, in Tucson. Cotsy will be remembered for her vibrant personality and quick wit, as well as her beauty and tremendous artistic talent. She was very positive about life despite several tragic losses, the early deaths of her father, Frederick "Cody" Cramer and her daughter, Sylvia "Duffy" Engle. A native of Milwaukee, and long-time resident of Riverside, IL, Cotsy, with her husband, made a fresh start in the Tucson area after losing both her daughter and mother. The Engles were among the first to purchase lots in the Oro Valley Country Club in the early 60s, when it was no more than a pasture. Cotsy lived there until May, 2007, when she moved to The Fountains. Mr. Engle was a long-time mayor of Oro Valley. While her husband served as president of Oro Valley Country Club multiple times, Cotsy, a former journalist, named and wrote the Club's newsletter and was an avid golfer and bridge player there. In her 50s, she studied art and earned a degree "with distinction" from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where a teacher, seeing her particular talent in working in three dimensions, encouraged her to study sculpture. Her work focused on desert animals found around southern Arizona, horses and dogs. She often said that she worked on a piece "until it came alive." She has major bronze sculptures of bighorn sheep groups in the Oro Valley Town Center, named in honor of her late husband, and the Oro Valley Country Club. Other pieces are owned by family and by friends throughout the country. Cotsy is survived by her son, S. Cody Engle (Deborah), of Chicago; grandchildren, Jennifer Engle Rix (Michael) of Glenwood Springs, CO, and Christoph Engle of Taos, NM; great-grandchildren, Helene Catherine and Weston Cody Engle Rix; nieces, Suzie Eldridge (Bill Peters), Tucson, Sally Wentzel, Denver and Jennifer Cramer Roberto (Raul), Mundelein, IL, and a nephew, Frederick Cramer, Guyton, GA. A memorial celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Oro Valley Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to the Humane Society Chapter of Tucson.