Condolence: I met Cathy on a Saturday at the visiting Viet Nam Wall. I was taken right away with her politeness and gentleness as she spoke to my new friend, Ron Lamb. Ron and I had just met and were security for the Wall. Eventually I and Cathy started up a conversation together and found that we had a lot in common. In addition to her politeness and gentleness when she interacted with others I noticed that she was very precise verbally which was a little unnerving at first as most of us are not. I liked her immediately. We had to part when it started to rain and Ron and I continue with our security duties.
The following week I was completely surprised when Cathy called me. She assured me that this was not her custom, calling strange men, but she thought that we could be good friends. We did become good friends and I have had the chance to meet three of her four children and her sister, Carole. They are all great loving people. I am so sorry for your loss, Ben, Becky, Abby, Nat and Carole. You were very blessed to have her as your mother and sister and she was very blessed having you in her life.
Cathy and I went to the movie and other activities throughout the rest of that year and I found her to be very intelligent, which I liked, adventurous, physically active and fun loving. She was also very talented musically. I loved listening to her play her flute expertly. She said that it helped her relax, especially after a busy day teaching first grade at the local Roman Catholic School. Cathy was full of life and she wanted to live life to the fullest.
I also found Cathy to be a very strong Christian woman, which one found out almost immediately. She loved Jesus and was a very loving person who gave of herself to others. I wrote at the beginning that I liked Cathy immediately, and I did, but as I got to know her more I came to love her as a true friend and a sister in Christ. She was and is a very special person. Rest in peace, Cathy.

Condolence: I placed on Cathy's facebook page June 8th....

A very special person left this earth today. Cathy Olmstead you will be so very missed by us all. Your cheerful spirit touched so many during your short 67 years on earth. Now you are playing your flute for Jesus! Such great memories of the good times we shared especially in high school and these past four years!! We had plans to kayak together on Hamlin Lake this July when we will be camping there! Bittersweet thoughts tonight as my tears won't stop!! Love you girl!

Condolence: I read this June 8th (today) not knowing by evening I would be grieving the loss of a dear friend Cathy Olmstead. I know she is with Jesus now, playing her flute! Remembering a very dear friend always bubbling with excitement and ready for adventure! Miss n love you Cathy Olmstead!

I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. —Philippians 1:23

A siren wailed outside a little boy’s house. Unfamiliar with the sound, he asked his mother what it was. She explained that it was meant to alert people of a dangerous storm. She said that if people did not take cover, they might die as a result of the tornado. The boy replied, “Mommy, why is that a bad thing? If we die, don’t we meet Jesus?”
Little children don’t always understand what it means to die. But Paul, who had a lifetime of experience, wrote something similar: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). The apostle was under house arrest at the time, but his statement wasn’t fueled by despair. He was rejoicing because his suffering was causing the gospel to spread (vv. 12-14).
So why would Paul be torn between a desire for life and death? Because to go on living would mean “fruitful labor.” But if he died he knew he would enjoy a special kind of closeness with Christ. To be absent from our bodies is to be home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8).
People who believe in the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection will be with Him forever. It’s been said, “All’s well that ends in heaven.” Whether we live or die, we win. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Dear Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on You, whether I face difficulty in life or death. Let me find security and peace in You.
Belief in Jesus's death and resurrection brings the assurance of life with Him forever.
Daily Bread June 8

Condolence: Thinking of you and missing your voice!!

Condolence: I am still in shock. We had been playing phone tag and I still have her voice message on my phone with her reply and that she was going in for this surgery. I have known Cathy and her family since our children were all small and we were attending the Methodist Church. Cathy and I would play the flute together then and just about 2 years ago we had reconnected and started playing flute duets together again. This year we had lost contact and it wasn't until spring that we reconnected and I learned about all she had gone through this year and was still going through. I had contacted her to play flute together again and she let me know how weak she was. She felt that she could no longer blow into her flute. This was so not like Cathy. Cathy loved to play flute and was very diligent about practicing. Cathy will be greatly missed by many. She was a very warm, caring, faithful, enthusiastic person. Rest in peace, Cathy.

Condolence: Cathy Olmstead was one of the finest Christian women we've ever known! She was so considerate and kind to all and was a wonderful flute player. We used to sing in choir together at church and she was such a fine musician. Cathy was always so helpful and did everything she could to take care of her husband, Brian, when he became seriously ill a few years ago. Cathy will be missed! She was a shining beacon , with her bright smile and generous spirit , to all who knew her. Our deepest condolences to family, friends and colleagues!

Condolence: I knew Cathy in high school and got to know her even better when she taught my grand-daughter, Lauren Yennior, in first grade at Ludington Area Catholic School. She was an excellent, passionate, and loving teacher. She was so beloved by her students, the parents, the grand-parents and anyone who really got to know her. I truly loved being around her, helping out occasionally in the classroom. I send my deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers to her family. She is truly an angel and I know that she is in God's loving arms. Rest in peace, Cathy. You touched so many lives with such kindness and your wonderful smile. You will not be forgotten.

Condolence: Cathy and I were in the Ludington High School band so many years ago. I remember her as an excellent flute player, and a beautiful person to have as a friend. More recently, I enjoyed visiting Cathy in her classroom and reconnecting with her after so many years. She was so kind and considerate to everyone. Her graciousness and gentleness have touched the lives of so many children, and will be felt for years to come. May she rest eternally in the arms of Our Lord.

Condolence: My thoughts are with you all at this most difficult time. We never know what life will hand us next, we can only do our best to love and support each other at times like this. I hope you are able to take comfort in knowing how loved your mother was by so many, and cherish the memories that friends will share with you. Our mothers will never be gone, as long as we have those memories to keep them alive in our hearts.
Your mother was a huge part of my childhood, she was at every class party at summit school, soccer and t-ball carpooling, always a basket of apples ready for us kids and a delicious homemade treat on hand. She was a great mother to all of us, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have known her.
May you all find peace, in time.