Catherine Irene McLaughlin

An old proverb states, “from small beginnings come great things,” and it certainly befits
Catherine McLaughlin – one of the most loving, and in return, most loved, people to
ever walk in our presence on this earth. Born on a spring day in May 1929, her first
breath of life was taken in a small wood frame house secluded deep in Jones Cove at
the foot of Busbee Mountain, now home to Givens Estates in south Buncombe County.
She was the most beautiful of flowers to inhabit that isolated mountain cove following
birth – enchanting and lovely and magical – and continued to blossom with increased
charm and glamour with each passing year of her life.
She was a saint in the truest sense of the word – a mother and grandmother held by
family members with highest esteem, with mutual regard from others fortunate to have
known her. She was modest and never sought attention – content for others to bask in
the limelight. She was the model mother making sure her children had every
opportunity that she could afford or provide them. And while she would never want her
persona idealized or enlarged in death beyond what it was in life, she was good and
decent and deserving of any and all accolade we can, and will, continue to give her.
She raised her first four children as a single parent, having lost her husband in a
logging accident during their pre-teen years. She worked day and night to provide and
care for them, loving them unconditionally and nurturing them to become a close-knit
family, continuing her teachings with a fifth child born in subsequent marriage.
Love is not always an easy feeling to put into words, but she personified and embodied
the word like no other we have ever known, or could ever hope to identify. She received
character and inspiration from her unpretentious childhood and passed it on to all of us
privileged to be her legacy. She gave us strength in time of trouble and hardship,
wisdom in time of uncertainty, and shared in our times of happiness. With unwavering
affection, we called her Granny Kay, Nana, and Mom… and her responsive smile will
forever be etched in our memories. She will always be by our side, and forever deeply,
and firmly, embedded in our hearts.
Our family is experiencing the profound sadness that stems from our enormous loss,
but we will rest assured that God’s loving grace will lessen that pain as we move
forward during this difficult time of transition.
We hold an enormous sense of intense privilege and gratitude for having her for the
many years we were blessed. Her time on earth was a distinctive gift to all of us.
The contributions of this revered lady to life in general were most admirable. She had
incredible character and was a ray of sunshine and kindred spirit who touched all who
knew her in a very uplifting manner. She was a remarkable individual whose wonder filled eyes and pleasant grin, compassion and generosity, and simple decency were but
a few of the endearing elements making an original mix that truly sparkled, and the
intangible traits that made her this very special and unique person.
We want to believe that what we contributed was important and valued by our family
and friends, and for them to affirm that what we stood for mattered to them. We want to
leave a legacy that is uniquely our own – something that it is clear that our name was
on. Her life was lived with purpose, integrity, compassion, and service – and she never
had to worry about evolving into a forgotten face or faded memory after her presence
on earth concluded.
She added color and texture to the remarkable tapestry of life, and although what has
been lost is tremendous, what she gave us is immeasurable. To those who knew her,
no explanation is necessary. To those who didn’t, no explanation is possible. In our
mourning we balance the tears of sorrow with the tears of joy, and mix the bitter with
the sweet in death and life. But beyond the sadness and loss we now feel, we also hold
a sense of intense privilege and gratitude for having shared a part of her life.
Catherine McLaughlin was a flame that flickered for a short time before quietly ceasing
to burn at the precise moment God gathered her into His loving arms. She was a dear
pilgrim who reached journey’s end and departed this earth to rest, to touch the face of
God, gone to accept reward for her obedience and to be wonderfully reunited with those
preceding her in what had to have been a most exhilarating moment.
In taking solace in God’s grace and love, our family now has a very special angel
watching over us. Although we will miss her presence immensely, we are very grateful
for the many blessings of the wonderful years shared together, knowing that someday
all of us will again be reunited.
The time has arrived to let the physical dimension of our relationship go, so that we can
focus and hold in our memory what her life has meant to all of us and to each of us.
With deep emotion in our hearts, and with love that knows no bounds, we bid farewell to
a departed mother, grandmother, and friend. But death only ends a life here on earth;
death does not end a relationship. As we engage in the process of bidding farewell to a
departed matriarch, she will live forever in all of our hearts. And, as consolation, what
the heart once cherished, it will never lose.
Catherine Irene McLaughlin left us for the Kingdom of God on March 2, 2022. While
never prepared to accept loss of life, we all understand that when God calls us home,
we go. His timing is perfect from a heavenly perspective, but the earthly view is
sometimes harder to understand, and her death only reminds us that each of our lives
are but precious moments in time. We love you and hope that as you look down upon
us from time to time, the infectious smile you always had for us will be adorning your
precious face.
“Good night, sweet princess, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
– William Shakespeare
Catherine McLaughlin
May 22, 1929 – March 2, 2022
Catherine Irene McLaughlin left us to join our Heavenly Father on March 2, 2022,
passing away at the age of 92 at Mission Hospital. She was a daughter of the late
Burnard Avery and Estes West Higgins, and was preceded in death by her seven
siblings – Geneva Rogers, Pearl Bassett, Marie Bradley, Clara Treadway, Burnard
Higgins, Bill Higgins, and Ronald Higgins; by a son, James “Jamie” McLaughlin, a
grandson, Colby McLaughlin, a great-grandson Connor McLaughlin; and a stepdaughter, Ann Woods (Simpson) King.
Surviving are her daughter Lisa Holt (Brian) of Asheville; sons Steve and Bobby
Simpson of Asheville, and Gary Simpson (Karen) of Leicester; one sister-in-law, Betty
Jo Higgins of Old Fort; a daughter-in-law Rhonda McLaughlin of Asheville; five
grandchildren – Chasity Simpson, Christina Simpson, Crystal Hollingsworth, Chelsey
Parker, and Jon McLaughlin; ten great-grandchildren – Chance Simpson, Caitlyn
Ledford, Devon Simpson, Jaden Foster, Alex Harper, Brianna Cressley, Savannah
Hollingsworth, Bentley Parker, Lane Parker, and Leland McLaughlin; and three very
special people she loved immensely and considered as her own children – Pete and
Betsy Bassett of Millville, New Jersey, and Rhonda Landon of Asheville.
She was a manufacturing operator at Sybron – Taylor Instrument Company during the
60’s through the 80’s, and following retirement worked part-time for several years at the
Asheville Civic Center.
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road is assisting the family, who
will receive friends in the chapel to honor her life on Monday, March 7 from 6:00 – 8:00
PM.
A private graveside service will be held at a later date with interment at Lanning-Pittillo
Cemetery in Fruitland, where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Wilbur
Simpson, who passed away in 1964.