Cathy’s Life, told by her daughter Nancy

While it was heart breaking to watch my mother die, I knew in THAT moment she was finishing her life exactly as she intended, all the way to the very end. My mother was not traditional in any capacity and one of her many unique views on life was that she never wanted to participate in traditional healthcare.  Like her mother, most of her medical experiences in life involved childbirth and fixing a few body parts in disrepair. A knee here, an eye there. Her philosophy about diseases was IF she got one, she wanted it to do it its thing without interference. While she NEVER had the intention of surrendering when that time came, she HOPED there would be a resolution without her having to go into battle AND that is exactly what happened. She took her last breath, peacefully, and more importantly, on her own terms.

IF ONLY we all could be that lucky in life. With that sad, therefore the rest of today is going to be focused on celebrating her amazing life, AND WHAT A LIFE IT WAS.

Born into a traditional large Catholic family in the Midwest in the 50’s, she was BORN to be a rebel. I wasn’t around for those first 21 years, but I’ve heard some great stories that I am sure her siblings here today will be happy to share them. When I look at pictures of those times I am drawn to her radiant smile and gorgeous red hair. I smile at pictures of her living her best life twirling batons and spinning hula hoops around her waist. I laugh at pictures of her looking angelic or well behaved. Most of all I feel the love that surrounded her, her whole life, when I look at pictures of her with her family.

My mom escaped that traditional childhood as soon as she could and started living her life to the fullest at a young age. She started by following her big brother to the east coast as a teenager and then got married at 20 years old. You would think her wild and crazy lifestyle would have been short lived when I came along a year later, but she was just getting started. Fast forward two years, my mom was a single mom with two kids at 23, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her rebellious ways became her survival kit, and she used those skills to raise my brother RT and I on her own for more than 10 years. She was strong and resilient. She was beautiful on the inside and out. She inspired the pull yourself up by your bootstraps woman I am today.

10 years later, staying true to her rebellious self, she had one more child completing our family of four and starting what would be the most important relationship in her life – concurrently becoming a mother and best friend to my sister Therese.

In her thirties now, motherhood was different for her and so was her survival kit. I am not going to sugar coat those years; her rebellious ways were dangerous and irresponsible, but we survived them. We experienced them most of her forties too, THEN something changed. Her wild and crazy ways were now endearing. Her focus in life became about taking care of her parents and others. Her rebellious ways evolved, and she began living an authentic life.

Her fifties were all about family and she LOVED watching our family grow. Technology gave her the opportunity to be a part of the lives of her nieces and nephews and their kids. She had the freedom to participate when she wanted to and the seniority to do her own thing when she didn’t. She embraced her evolved rebellious lifestyle, and we all did too. Those years were my favorite because that is when we became friends. While we lived in different states and visits were far and few in between, I never felt the distance. We texted almost every day; racing to be the first to tell the other when someone famous died or sharing opinions about red carpet fashion. My mom and I had more in common than either of us will ever admit to.

To celebrate her 60^th birthday, MOM went sky diving. Yep, she jumped out of a plane and loved every minute of it. That was the perfect start to her sixties as they were her greatest decade. She retired and finally got to take a break and enjoy life. For her that meant doing absolutely nothing as much as possible to and that is exactly what she did most days – well, until TikTok happened. 

Her sixties were also when she became a grandmother to Rigo and Donald, her most cherished milestone in life. Therese showed me a video yesterday of her chasing Donald around on a scooter and falling on the couch with him in a fit of laughter – it filled my heart with so much gratitude that her life had come full circle. Being a grandmother enabled mom to be young again, to do the fun things she missed out on when she was surviving as a young mother. Thank you for making that possible Elena.

While being A parent never ends, there is a point in life when the pressure to constantly be THE parent shifts and the dynamics of your relationship with your kids change. I encourage you to cherish every moment of those years. When kids become the parents, the transition is hard for everyone. My mom fought it till the very end. There is so much we wanted to do for her that she simply would not let us do. I am okay with that now. We focused on the fun instead, for that I am grateful.  

Rest in Peace Mom.



Cathy's Obituary.

Catherine Margaret Jovanov, 66, of Boulder City, Nevada, passed away on 10/10/2021. She was born to parents Donald Sterling and Frances McMahon, on 01/14/1955 in Aurora, Illinois and graduated from Wheeling High School in 1972.  

Cathy grew up near Chicago, IL with six siblings; Don, Beth, Terri, Jimmy, Michael and Susan, moved to California in 1989 and settled in Boulder City, NV in 1995.

Cathy was a mother to three children; Nancy Palo of Austin, Texas; Robert Palo of Las Vegas Nevada and Therese Jovanov of Boulder City, Nevada. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law Elena Palo and grandsons Rigo Benavides and Donald Palo. She was preceded in death by her grandson Jacob Ryne Palo.

Cathy loved flowers of all kinds, especially wildflowers and roses. Flowers can be ordered from Boulder City Florist (702) 293-3597. Donations may be made in her name on this website to Lend a Hand of Boulder City.