Catherine Cole

Monday, June 11, 1951, was an ordinary Monday when Catherine Frances Naizer was born in an ordinary way in Taylor, Texas. The daughter of Daniel and Sybil (Repa) Naizer of Granger, Texas. Cathy grew up on a farm. She attended Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic School in Granger and graduated from Granger High School where she was a majorette in the Granger High School Band. 

When she was younger, she danced traditional Polka dances at events in Czech costumes. Cathy loved to dance. We met on the dance floor of the Granger Hall and Oh We Danced! We danced every time we had a chance! Her favorite local band was the Debonairs. Cathy took a chance on a small-town boy from Gatesville, Texas with no plan for the future. We married at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church on August 15, 1970, and started our life together with a promise and hope. We were two ordinary people with ordinary jobs. We enjoyed weekend trips to Corpus Christi and Padre Island. We loved boating on Town Lake and Lake Travis.

Cathy received her bachelor's degree from University of Texas at San Antonio. She worked for Texas Instruments in Dallas and Austin, Texas. She had a distinguished 25-year career with USAA Insurance as a Litigation Manager in San Antonio, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado, before she retired in 2016.

We were blessed with three sons, Christopher, Ryan and Travis and eight very talented and gifted grandchildren. Through the years, our dance moves were a little slower, but the boys kept us busy with Boy Scouts, CYO Basketball, Tee Ball, Baseball, Football, Cross Country and four years of High School and Travel League baseball. Cathy loved watching the boys play sports and most recently our grandchildren's baseball, soccer and track. She loved spending time with our Grandchildren playing dominos and board games. The joy they gave her was priceless. They made her laugh and smile just like we were dancing. 

Over the years we traveled thousands of miles on road trips sightseeing and hiking park trails and made a lot of memories with our sons, Cathy's parents and yes, even our grandchildren. We saw everything from London England, Windsor Castle to Jasper Canada, Niagara Falls, Washington DC, the entire East Coast from Kitty Hawk to Key West. Rocky Mouuntain NP, Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Goonies Beach, Grand Canyon, Yosemite NP, Cabo, Cancun, Grand Cayman and snorkeled in the Caribbean with weekend getaways in the mountains. 

August 2, 2026, was an ordinary rainy Sunday when Cathy peacefully passed away in Carmel, Indiana, with her husband and three sons by her side; after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 75 years old; just 12 days shy of our 56th wedding anniversary.

So, as it turns out, the day Cathy was born wasn't ordinary at all. It was the beginning of a unique, important and extraordinary life. She was Adored and Loved deeply by everyone who knew her and she will be missed greatly. 

We're a million miles from the past with one trip back in Texas, where she'll be Home at Last. 

Cathy is survived by her loving husband, Allen, sons Christopher (Karen), Ryan (Tavita), Travis (Amanda), mother Sybil Naizer, sister Carolyn Snyder, brothers Kenneth and David Naizer. Also 7 grandchildren Ethan, Allen, Ryan, Malcolm, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Kylie Cole. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials will be accepted in Cathy's memory to St Mary's Catholic School, and can be mailed to 520 Washburn St,. Taylor, TX 76574. 

A Celebration of Life for Cathy will be planned at a later date.