Catherine Isabelle Broughton

     Catherine Isabelle Higley Broughton passed away on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at Overland Park Place Nursing Center, Overland Park, Kansas.  She would have been 94 on January 29.  Services will be held at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada, Missouri, on Monday, February 1, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.  Visitation will be at the funeral home on Sunday, January 31, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Interment will be at Newton Burial Park in Nevada.  Friends may call at the funeral home from now and until the time of service.

     Catherine was born in 1916 in Walker, Missouri, to Mary Ellen Letta and Lyman Delois Higley.  She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant sister, and a brother, Paul Dean Higley.  Also preceding her in death was her beloved husband of 52 years, Glenn A. Broughton.  They were married in Walker on August 12, 1934.

    She is survived by a daughter, Jeanie Fischer and husband, Allen; three grandchildren, Christy Reese and husband, Mike; Mike Middleton and wife Kim; and Cathy Jurgensmeyer and husband, Brian.  Also surviving are eight great-grandchildren; Catherine, Michael, Andrew, Brooks, Abby, Sarah, David, and Luke.  She leaves behind a niece, Marnell Bruce, and a cousin, Dorcas Noble.

     Catherine spent most of her life in Vernon County, Missouri, living in Walker, Milo, and Nevada.  She graduated from Walker High School, where she was salutatorian of her class and a member of the Vernon County All-Star Basketball team.  In 2002, she moved to John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit, and she later lived for four years at Brighton Gardens in Prairie Village.

     She was a member of First Baptist Church of Nevada; Elizabeth Carey Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution; Chapter KK, PEO; the Athenas; and Milo-Help-Your-Neighbor Club.  In past years, she was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, and she sang frequently at weddings and funerals.  For many years she sang in the church choir and Glory Choir.  Catherine was devoted to God, her country, and the study of history.  She taught us to enjoy a beautiful pair of shoes, a good hand of bridge, and the mysteries of nature.  She was a proud member of the Greatest Generation.

     Catherine was the respected matriarch of our family.  She instilled in us the joy of family and tradition.  She was a lady of great character and indomitable spirit, and she showed us that a person can inspire others by enduring with dignity.

     Gifts in Catherine’s memory may be made to First Baptist Church of Nevada or to the Vernon County Historical Society in care of Ferry Funeral Home, 301 S. Washington, Nevada, MO 64772.