May 5, 1955 – March 28, 2014
Cathy Styer passed away peacefully in her home on March 28, 2014 following a grueling 5-year battle with ovarian cancer. Cathy was born in Seattle on May 5, 1955. She grew up in Seattle and on Vashon Island and graduated from Vashon High School in 1973. Cathy worked as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for many years in Seattle and Los Angeles. In her early 40’s, Cathy began to pursue a second career in veterinary medicine and laboratory research. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 2003 and a PhD in comparative pathology from UC Davis in 2010. Cathy was devastated that she could never fully realize her dreams for her second career after her cancer diagnosis. She fought hard to continue working for as long as possible, and her family is grateful for the support provided by her colleagues at UC Davis and the University of Washington.
Cathy was a beach kid, a music lover, and an insatiable reader. We will miss her humor, her child-like enthusiasm and sense of wonder, and her quiet determination.
Published in The Seattle Times on Apr. 6, 2014