Obituary of Joann "Cathy" Catherine Adams
Joann Catherine, more commonly known by her nickname of Cathy, was born on April 8, 1949, went to be embraced by our Loving Lord on November 29, 2016. She was born in Peru, Indiana and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. She married Jim on February 27, 1970 at Sacred Heart Church in Dearborn, Michigan.
In 1978, she and her husband moved their family to Monroe, Michigan. She is survived by her loving husband, James M. Adams and their two sons, Mark J. (Tawny) of Arizona and Brian (Bridget) of Michigan, and their beloved grandchildren, Janae, Maliya, and Nolan.
Previously deceased are her parents Joseph E. and Catherine E. (Cannon) Hasselschwert of Dearborn, Michigan and her siblings, two brothers and one sister.
She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved traveling with the family when they were young and then later with Jim after he retired, especially to see the grandchildren whenever the opportunity afforded itself. Being a grandmother brought her pure joy.
She loved living in Michigan and was faithful to her calling to serve others in a variety of ways and put others ahead of herself. Despite facing the challenges of an unrelenting, extremely painful medical condition, she tutored children in reading several days a week for twenty-five years, helping non-readers learn to read. She had a special spot in her heart for children and it pained her deeply to see children hurt or abused emotionally or physically.
Her favorite pastimes were graphic design work, researching on the computer, going to the movies and tending to her butterfly garden. She began doing projects involving graphic design skills in 1997. She used these design and editing skills when putting together a quarterly newsletter, brochures, books, flyers, and forms for Father Jack Fabian and his non-profit community, Companion of Christ the Lamb located in the Upper Peninsula, and then later for the non-profit charity New Beginnings Mercy House, among other computer design projects that others would on occasion ask for help. This included the now published book Mustard Seed by Eileen Albrecht.
She and Jim began actively volunteering in November of 2014 at New Beginnings Mercy House, a Christian crisis pregnancy agency located in Ida, and also regularly donated to Oaks of Righteousness in Monroe, a calling placed upon Pastor Boone to provide safe harbor for the homeless. For several years Cathy was a facilitator for a prayer group and an inner healing prayer group.
She will always be remembered as a generous and thankful soul who sought out opportunities to bless others, to pay it forward, and never hesitated to provide good tips for restaurant servers, even sometimes paying for a stranger’s meal. She was generous to a fault, putting others needs ahead of her own for so many throughout the years in a variety of ways. Her soul was happiest when helping others. Her spirit will be missed.
A Memorial Mass in her honor will take place at 10:00am on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 502 West Front Street in Monroe. Father Jack Fabian will officiate. Arrangements have been entrusted to Merkle Funeral Service, 2442 North Monroe Street (734) 384-5185.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to New Beginnings Mercy House, 3877 Jackman Road, Ida, Michigan 48140. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort or share a photo by visiting www.merklefs.com.